Your Sinclair 018

J52J213k

Ginormous
. Poster

Gremlin’s springiest star is set to bounce straight back
into a new adventure.

Following his world saving exploits against the evil toy
goblin and his monstrous toys, Thing’s enjoyed his much
needed recuperation, oiled his spring and is now raring
to go. What next?... he must finish the job properly and halt
the factory computer auto producing these hideous toys.

But as superfit as he is and fast as he can move there’s
danger hidden around every bend... goblins lurking to
drain his oil, water rushing to bowl him over, iron chickens
fielding dastardly deadly eggs.

A quick hand and dogged determination are needed if
you’re to get anywhere with Thing in his latest escapade.

Fast and furious action is the order of the day and a
good sense of direction would be helpful to guide Thing
round such a complex location.

Available on

CBM64/128 AMSTRAD SPECTRUM 48/128K

£ 9.99 c £ 9.99 c M SX

£ 14.99 d £ 14.99 d £ 7.99 c

Alpha House, 10 Carver Street,
Tel: 0742 753423. Sheffield, SI 4FS.

Quartz Halogen Po
Op’ headlights just
like a Porsche 924.

Audible warning device
pressing results in a
‘boing, boing, boing’

noise.

Trendy designer cut
off T-Shirt (causes
nasty draught round
your coils).

Stupid grin, take «
look in the mirror i
playing this game
See what we mea

All round inde
coil spring suspension
guaranteed for over
100,000 boings.

Leather boinging gloves for
a sure fire grip on that
joystick.

Size 14 racing tread
flippers for inflight
stability and a sure¬
footed landing.

GREMLIN GRAPHICS
SOFTWARE LTD

Extra large flappy
cheeks, watch out
for tweaking
grandads.

heists aw en f

ef >airyescao^ d K et

SSBsg ^^ 1

* »hist/ e sLf/° Urne ytc

ISSfST'

Mo/vryMole
ms

£ mrwft £R£

^ s $

FR££

Lapel
Badoe
mthTaU
games

£**

458 *

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Gremlin Graphics SoFtware Limited, Alpha House,
10 Carver Street, SheFField SI 4FS. Tel: 0742 753423

—

' V

From Taito Corporation w
comes the last word in planet combat
"^-tfdSEr* Multi screen

realistic graphics spectrum COMMODORE
and all the coin-op

^ features. _

UUUILi SPECTRUM AMSTRAD

1 imagine Software Ltd.,; 6 Central Street, Manchester M2 5NS, Telephone; 061-832 6633. Telex; 66997.

Licensed from © Taito Corp., 1986 Programmed for Amstrad, Spectrum, Commodore by Imagine Software.

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HYDROFOOL

FTL

Sweevo’s
back —
this is the
dawning of
the age of aquarium!

PREVIEWS

Sneaky peeks of the next four weeks.

• Strikel/Mastertronic

• Pass Your Driving Test/Audiogenic

• The Pawn/Rainbird

• Alien Evolution/Gremlin

• Army Moves/Ocean

• Zynaps/Hewson

• Gunship/Microprose

• F-15 Strike Eagle/Microprose

• The Big Sleaze/Piranha
• Leviathan/English Software

• The Mystery Of Arkham Manor/Melbourne House

• Bubbler/Ultimate

• Express Raider/US Gold

• Cosmic Shock Absorber/Martech

• Super Robin Hood/Code Masters

• Chronos/Mastertronic

. •

hMAMh

Sixty billion games reviewed this
issue!*

• Psi-5 Trading Company/US Gold
• Star Raiders 11/Electric Dreams

• Koronis Rift/Acti vision

• Auf Wiedersehen Monty/Gremlin

• Nemesis/Konami

• Krakout/Gremlin

• Gauntlet: The Deeper Dungeons/US Gold

• Big Trouble In Little China/Electric Dreams

• President/ Addictive

• Tomb Of Syrinx/The Power House

• Doc The Destroyer/Melbourne House
• Rasterscan/Mastertronic

• Kinetik/Firebird

• Throne Of Fire/Melbourne House

• Trivial Pursuit: Baby Boomer Edition/Domark

Head Over Heels

Ocean’s new game’ll turn you A
over T!

The Sentinel

Firebird’s King of the Castle! (Get
down you dirty rascal!)

Into The Eagle’s Nest

Fly through Pandora’s unbeatable
game with the YS map.

Mike Gerrard PAWk over Gilsoft’s
new adventure writing utility.

Plus reviews of The Sidney Affair, The Crown
and Four Minutes To Midnight .

I Hack Free Zone.31

Improve your Hex life!

Task Force.60

More riotous assembly with Ian
Hoare!

18 Prizes Must Be 1
\Non« 1

hree com ^fg e 0 f'Hydrofool,
sts, 50 C °P'®, The Maltese
iiveVld |o S copSofThe Big

alcon, 30 copies . The

mmmzmm

Jack The Nipper.63

Jack puts the bootee in!

Frontlines.4

So what’s news?

Letters.15

If you’re gonna do it, do it —
write!

YS Subs.24

Hit List 26

The hot hits in this month’s
chart.

Compo Winners.71

Come on down! The prize is
right!

YS T-Shirts.76

Fanzine Winners.87

Input Output.88

Your Sinclair Back

Issues.100

Your Spectrum Back

Issues.102

T’zers.104

The lunatics have taken over
the asylum!

■ydurI

EDITOR Teresa Maughan
PUBLISHER Roger Munford
SUBSCRIPTIONS Suzie
Matthews
01-631 1433

ADVERTISEMENT ENQUIRIES
Mark Salmon, Julian Harriott
01-5800504/631 1433
Your Sinclair , Dennis Publishing
Ltd, 14 Rathbone Place, London
W1P1DE,

SPRCE-THE FIRRL

These are the voyages of the starship Sinclair. Its five year mission — to
destroy strange new aliens, to seek out news stories and new lunches,
to boldly split infinitives where no news page
has split infinitives before!

- m

THE

HEY, YS READERS, YOU’RE NOT COMPLETELY
UNEMPLOYABLE AFTER ALL!

Yep, according to serious people’s paper the Times (‘We’re extremely serious’)
you’re more likely to make the grade as a commercial air pilot if you have “a
natural talent for computer games”! Testing recently began at the new British
Airways pilot training school on 3,000 candidates vying for just 100 places,
and skilled joystick jugglers (are you listening, Konix) are confidently expected
to come out on top. “Research has shown that those who are good at video
games are self-selectors; they play because they are good at it and not the
other way round,” says the school’s head honcho Captain Colin Barnes.

Yahay! Frontlines could have told you that.

More news of CRL's Oink, the gar
based on the porcine IRC cor
of the same name. Hardnosed
investigative newshog Phil Snout
recently truffled up some inside
info over a light lunch with some
swine from CRL, and the game,
due in August, is supposed to be a
real porker... er, corker.

But haven't we said all this
before (Yes, don't be
a boar! Ed).

STAR TREK IV -
REVENGE OF THE
BATHCHAIRS

In which Captain Kirk
and his geriatric crew
save the world again,
this time with a
couple of whales,
neither of which is
Scotty. I mean, is that
man fat or is he fat?
Meanwhile Spock, with
a voice like an
underground car park,
is wandering around
in a robe keeping his
hands warm. Wagga
wagga! Ah, but it’s
great, the best film in
the Star Trek series so
far and I want to see
it again. Didja know
there’s a whole noo
series on TV in autumn
called ‘Star Trek: the
New Generation ’? And
that Beyond still hasn’t
finished the Star Trek
game? And that Sulu
is 53? Opening hailing
frequencies, Captain...

S iggep asss:

M Bon rS !° fix ’ Ca P tain ” n ° reasoa “«’»take

Captain^"* ° f 6ner9y weVe encountered before, VS “ W *

**«

■is&.

Mmm! Scrummy! There's
nothing we Frontliners like
more than a tasty joystick
for tea, and those crazy
leek-eaters at Konix are
obviously of like
disposition. Here are
Sandra and Wyn
Holloway colebrating
their 300,000th Speed
King joystick by eating it,
microswitches an' all.
Meanwhile Konix is
carrying out a 'waggle'
test on the Speed King —
so far the lucky joystick
chosen has had two
weeks on a waggling
machine at 450 rpm, and
it's still working! Would
yours last as long? Oo-er!

So who's this curvacious mound of sensuous fiesh? ( Wot, the one
standing next to Maria Whittaker? Ed). And who's the pillock on
the right with the enormous weapon? Well, from I to r, it's Michael
Vanwigk (now you know why he has such a mean expression) with
his 53" chest and 31" waistline (Phil in reverse). Then there's
Starbird cheesecake Ms Whittaker (she of the chocolate mousse
tastings) and finally poor old Steve Brown, designer of Palace
Software's new game Barbarian (see T'zers). Yes, you thought
there'd be a game at the end of it somewhere, didn't you. Still,
Steve doesn't look that unchuffed, does he?

1 Do you remember our promise of a crossword in YS? Well,

* here it is! It's been sent in by Paul Walker of Warrington in
Cheshire, who'll be receiving a little something very soon
'cos Frontlines was so impressed with it. Also, if you send in
your solution before June 30th and yours is one of the first
five correct solutions pulled out of the hat, you'll win a YS
Goody Bag! So get solving, guys (and gals) 'cos you ain't
got long, and it ain't a complete piece of cake!

ACROSS

1 Chews on a byte, perhaps? (7)

8 What every YS reader wants
published (6)

9 Often seen in the back of car
windows (7)

10 To dislike intensely (6)

12 Like the graphics in Sam Fox's
Strip Poker? (5)

14 Expression of regret for 3/4 of a
girl (4)

15 What a QL has that a Speccy
hasn't (7)

16 Graphic symbol, used in The
Fourth Protocol (4)

17 Blame me for this peach of a
sweet (anag.) (5)

18 Facet of Bug Byte's assembler?
( 6 )

.22 From refs — come together
again (anag.) (7)

23 One of the few racing sports
that isn't a computer game yet (2, 4)

24 What a Commie 64 user has for

L-

DOWN

2 Peripherals are useless without
these (10)

3 Know a BCD and surrender
perhaps? (anag.) (4, 4)

4 This clue's not odd (4)

5 Breed of dog that goes with 19
down (4)

6 Eye complaint (4)

7 Trap a Commie 64 user into
admitting he's one (anag.) (4)

10 What you do when you're given
a picture of Sam (wahay) Fox (5)

11 These weapons aren't dumb! (5,

5)

13 Pen it — that's absurd (anag.) (5)

14 Large space rock (8)

18 You'll need this sort of 'rithm' if
you're programming (4)

19 Where would YS be without a
good... (4)

20 Type of store used before chips

( 4 )

21 Adjective used to describe YS (4)

UP PERISCOPE!

Wow! Hey, hipsters, have you heard
about the Y5 Subs Club ? It's written by
that well-known and much loved
contributor to YS, Mike Gerrard and if
you subscribe to Your Sinclair, you'll
automatically become a member. This
means that not only will you get
twelve warm and frootly issues of YS
landing on your doormat at the rate of
one a month, along with your free
Ocean game, but also twelve issues of
the YS Subs Club newsletter. You'll find
all the hot (ouch!) news from the Speccy world, money off all
sorts of tasty items, games to win, posters to win, free
subscriptions to win - loads and loads of whizzo stuff, in
fact.

YS GOES TO WAR!

Looked at the Wargames
Feature yet? Well, scoot
along to page 35 and
have a dekko. Impressive,
eh? Once it's inspired you
to give a wargame a go,
you'll be interested to
know that PSS, one of the
top companies publishing
computer wargames, runs
a mail order service called
Wargames Direct. You
can buy wargames for any
computer, including the
Speccy, and there's a full selection, not only of games published in this
country, but also in the USA! Wargames Direct's address is 452 Stoney
Stanton Road, Coventry CV6, so write off for all the information you need!

SHAKIN' ALL OVER!

Shake, the fabbo music tape mag, will
now be featuring two bands on each
new tape! Kerrangggg! Piccies on your
screen and sound from your Speccy!
Clanggg! If you want the latest copy of
Shake! zip off £1.99 to Keep Publishing
Ltd, Suite 3.2, Epic House, Charles
Street, Leicester LEI 3SH. Chinga,
chinga waah waah. Get down 'n' get
with it, hep cats!

MUSIC MAGAZINE
I FORSPECTRUMS

I PROGRAMS A
DED MUSIC^fl

COMPUTER PROGRAMS
& RECORDED MUSIC.,

SPECTRUM
48K

R Tape Loading Error; 0.1

If you bought the last
issue of YS with Ocean's
super Road Race game
on the cover, and you're
having loading problems,
there are two things you
can do about it —

1 Buy a small screwdriver
and adjust the asimuth on
your tape recorder, as
this can sometimes cure
faults like this, or

2 Send your tape back to
YS at the following
address: Road Race
Returns Department, Your
Sinclair, PO Box 320,

London N21 2NB and a
new one'll come winging
its way round your ear
before you can say "I
wonder when I'll get my
new..." (clunk!)

We bet you're wondering why

^asa 9 ' a ' u " OU P

eO< s ^

there n

o**

Jfe!tPjbane^Q51-630 3013„

24 hr Ansafone

LTD

37 Seaview Road
Wallasey, Merseyside
L45 4QN
051-691 2008

Phone orders

Spectrum 128 + 2. £144.95

Spectrum 128 + 2 pack. £153.95

Spectrum 128. £119.95

Spectrum Plus. £89.95

Amstrad 464 + Monochrome. £189.95

Amstrad 6128 + Monochrome. £289.95

Spectrum Power Supply (inc post). £9.95

Amstrad 6128 + colour monitor. £379.95

Data Recorder. £24.95

Cassette Lead. £1.59

ZX Service Manual. £29.95

ZX Spec Keyboard Mat. £5.95

ZX Spec Keyboard Membrane. £3.99

ZX Spec Template. £3.50

ZX Spec Jack Socket. £0.75

ZX Power Socket. £1.25

2m TV/Comp Lead. £2.49

1m TV/Comp Lead. £1.59

ZX + Membrane. £8.50

Spectrum to Spec + Kit. £29.95

DK Single Port J/S Int. £7.99

DK-Light Pen/Interface. £15.99

DK-3 Channel Sound. £24.50

DK Speech Synthesizer. £23.95

Dual Ports. £9.95

*Joystick-(S.S) — Steel shaft*

*Joystick-(M.S)« Microswitched*

Pro Ace. £9.95

Micro Ace (S.S) (M.S). £15.95

Zip Stik-New Model (S.S) (M.S). £19.95

Ram print with Ram write. £31.95

Genie Assembler.. £8.95

Ram Music Machine. £47.50

Vulcan Gunshot I. £6.50

Arcade by Euromax (S.S) (M.S). £17.95

Robtek Robot Interface. £29.95

New 'Microblaster' (S.S) (M.S). £14.95

Konix Speedking (S.S) (M.S). £11.95

Joyball (M S). £13.95

Microstick (M/S) Joystick. £5.95

Kempston Pro Joystick Interface. £15.95

Tristate Joystick l/F. £12.95

Cheetah 125 +. £7.50

Cheetah Mach I (M.S). £13.50

Quickshot II. £7.50

Joystick ( + 2) Selector Cable. £2.99

Joystick Extension (3m). £9.95

3V 2 in Lockable disc box holds 90.£10.99

SPECTRUM
128 SOFTWARE

DK-Programmable J/S l/F. £18.95

Cheetah Spectrum. £24.50

Cheetah Sound Sampler. £44.95

Cheetah Midi Interface. £49.95

128 to Midi Lead. £9.95

56W Extension Cable. £9.95

56W Double Extension Cable. £14.95

TV/Computer Splitter. £2.99

Kempston Mouse with Rainbird

'Art Studio'. £69.95

QL Disc Interface. £99.95

128 QL Centronics Interface. £19.95

Kempston Disc Interface. £85.00

Centronics 'E' Printer l/F. £39.95

L Print III SER/CENT Interface. £32.00

L-Print Centronics Lead. £12.95

L-Print Serial Lead. £12.95

lnt-1 to Epson. £9.95

Int i to Brother. £14.95

Opus Centronics Lead. £9.95

Opus Serial Lead. £9.95

Rotronics Centronics Lead.£14.95

Rotronics Serial Lead.£14.95

Microdrive Extension. £6.99

On/Off Switch (Plus). £4.95

QL Joystick Adaptor. £5.95

QL/Brother Serial. £9.95

Spec + Dust Cover. £4.99

Timex/Alphacom Thermal Paper

5 Rolls (inc post).£11.50

ZX-Thermal Paper (5 Rolls). £9.50

Voyager 7/S-W/INT.£129.95

New Beta Plus Disk System. £89.95

Beta Disk Interface... £59.95

Robcom Head Alignment. £4.95

Saga Emperor Keyboard. £44.95

Saga Elite Keyboard. £69.95

Multiface I. £39.95

Multiface 128. £44.95

Complete Disciple/800K DSDD

back up system.£229.95

4 Pack Microdrives. £7.95

Single Microdrives. £1.99

Disciple Disc/Printer Interface. £89.95

KAO 3%" SS Disks (10) (branded). £16.95

Cumana/Opus 5%" 80T Drive +

Disk Interface. £179.95

QL Disk Drive (3V') . £99.95

Amstrad DMP 3000. £169.95

Tatung TP100 Printer (Cent.)

AMS DMP 4000. £199.95

11"x914" Paper (1000 sheets). £10.95 p&p

11"xgy 2 " Paper (2000 sheets). £16.95 inc.

DMP2000 Ribbons. EA £5.95

Tatung/Welco Ribbons. EA £4.99

Currah Microslot (2-Way Expandable

Motherboard). £6.95

25 DS/DD 3.5" discs. £39.95

Currah Speech. £21.95

SOFTWARE

Tasword Two. £12.95

Tasword 128 OR+ 2. £12.99

Tasprint.. C.£9.50 M.£10.95

Tascopy. C.£9.50 M.£10.95

Tasword Three. M.£ 15.95

Tasdiary (M/D Only). £9.50

Taswide (Screen Stretcher). £5.50

ALL CURRENT TITLES STOCKED*

Paperboy. £6.75

Sky Runner. £6.99

Trivial Pursuit. £12.95

Hive. £8.50

10th Frame. £6.75

Glider Rider. £7.25

Ace by Cascade. £7.95

Cascade Tape '50'. £7.95

Crystal Castles. £7.95

Gauntlet. £6.99

Classic Collection. £7.99

Jail Break. £6.99

Computer Hits III. £7.95

Konami Golf. £6.75

Donkey Kong. £6.95

Marble Madness Construction. £7.75

Great Escape. £6.75

Zulu War. £7.50

Empire. £7.99

Stars on 128. £8.50

Education 3 Pack for 5-8 year. £5.99

Here and There with Mr Men. £6.99

5 Star Games. £7.99

Xevious. £8.50

Sigma 7. £7.99

Vera Cruz. £7.50

Star Glider.£12.95

Murder off Miami. £6.50

Shockway Rider. £6.99

Graphic Adventure Creator. £18.95

Revolution. £7.50

Hardball.. £7.50

Flunky. £6.95

Konami Coin Ops. £8.50

Light Force. £7.99

Contact Sam Cruz. £6.99

Enduro Racer. £7.95

QL Steve Davis. £13.95

QL Bridge Player. £16.95

QL Hyperdrive. £13.50

Aerojet. £7.95

Nosferatu. £7.99

Koronis Rift. £6.99

Animator I. £8.50

Waterloo. £8.50

Hit Pack. £8.50

Strike Force Harrier. £8.50

Shadow-Skimmer. £7.99

PSI Chess. £8.50

Nemesis. £6.99

Short Circuit. £6.99

War... £6.99

PSI 5 Trading Co. £6.50

Indoor Sports. £7.50

The Writer. £12.95

Devpac 4.. £13.99

Aliens. £6.50

Laser Basic. £13.95

Laser Compiler. £18.95

Music Typewriter. £9.50

Trivial Pursuit (young players). £12.95

Scrabble. £6.95

Junior Trivial Pursuit. £12.95

Advanced Art Studio 128. £21.95

Vulcan. £8.50

SAS. £7.99

Samurai. £6.50

World Games. £7.50

Nemesis. £6.50

7.99

Fist II. £6.99

UCHI MATA • MATCHDAY • HACKER

HUNCHBACK III • PLANETS •

STARS ON 128 • TARZAN •

COSMIC SHOCK ABSORBER •

BALLBLAZER • BARRY McGUIGAN
BOXING • GHOSTBUSTERS •

• FAIRLIGHT • LITTLE
COMPUTER PEOPLE • KINGDOM
OF KRELL • VULCANO • THEY
CALL ME TROOPER • GLADIATOR
• SWEEVOS WORLD •

MAIL ORDER

CHEQUES, PO's PAYABLE TO: MICROSNIPS LTD
add 5p in £ postage; add 10p in £ Europe. At cost to other countries

mtcRO

snips

REF: YOUR SINCLAIR: Please send me your full price list.

Name.

Address.

I enclose 13p stamp for return post.

LOMBARD

TRICITY

CHARGECARD

Prices correct at going to press. Errors and omissions excepted.

MICRO.

CLINIC

PO BOX 19
WALLASEY
MERSEYSIDE
L45 4FB

PHONE:
051-630 3031

WHY ARE WE DIFFERENT TO
MOST OF OUR COMPETITORS?

i The whole computer guaranteed for 4 months!

ii Every computer fully soak tested before return!

Mi All leading makes of computer repaired!

iv We don’t say 24-hour service and then take 3-4 weeks!

v Providing parts available we guarantee 7-day turn-round!

BARGAINS GALORE AT THE SPRING

MCROEMR

If you have a Sinclair Computer this is the show you can't afford to miss!

The great day is May 30th.

One day you won’t forget if you own or use a
Sinclair Computer.

The Microfair is back in town.

See everything that’s new and original for all
the Spectrums and the QL.

If it’s just launched you’ll find it at the
MICROFAIR. If you want advice you can talk
face to face with the manufacturers. If you can’t
find it in the shops you’ll probably find it at the
MICROFAIR.

It’s the user-friendly show that has out-lasted
all the rest because everyone enjoys themselves
. . . and you can always find a bargain!

Why not send today for cut-price advanced
tickets.

Underground: Nearest
stations are Victoria, and
St James’s Park.

British Rail:

Victoria Station.

Bus Routes: 11, 24, 29,
70, 76 and Red Arrow 507.

Road: Signposted
(RAC AA) Horticultural
Halls.

r

SEND NOW FOR REDUCED
PRICE ADVANCE TICKETS

I * Send to Mike Johnston (Organiser), Dept. S.U., ZX
MICROFAIRS, 71 Park Lane, London N17 OHG.

■1

I

I

I

I

Please send me.advance tickets (Adults @ £1.50) |

Please send me.advance tickets (Child under 14 @ £1.00) j

Name _

Address_

Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope and make cheques/POs
payable to ZX MICROFAIR.

Exhibitors ring Mike or Moira on 01 801 9172 for stand availability.

-PREVIEW-PREVIEW-PREVIEW-

FUTURE SHOCKS

Brand new games! Net out yet, but it can't be long! Unrepeatable offers! Look
at these luverly games, only 50p each. Oh belle. Constable...

ARMYmOvEs

Very probably, but where? In fact, Army Moves is the first game Imagine
has licensed from a Spanish software house, Dinamic. Calamares and two
veg, sefior? No, waiter, paella and chips for me. Ole! It's a Green Bert-
type shoot 'em up, with you in a jeep rumbling through war-torn
Godknowswhere firing at helicopters, enemy jeeps and anything else that
looks as though it might be fun to destroy. When you've reached the
enemy base you transfer to a helicopter, giving you the opportunity for
further violence and random mayhem. It all sounds jolly harmless (Crash!
Yeeeuuuggghh!). Army Moves will be invading shops at any moment and
it's £7.95 (extra blood supplied).

Ever had the scrolls? You’ll feel as though you’ve had them all your
life after you’ve tussled with this latest offering from Magnetic
Scrolls through Rainbird. ‘Cos what we’re talking about here is none
other than The Pawn, the mega-heftoid adventure that all those
smug gits with huge expensive computers have been boasting about
for months. Now the impossible has been achieved, as so often these
days, and the whole kit and kaboodle has been fitted into a 128K
Speccy, minus graphics but with all the plot and the mammoth
vocab that the game’s become famous for. And the parser’s supposed
to be a bit special too. Type in “Plant the pot plant in the plant pot
with the trowel” and you won’t get a foolish “Wot?” type reply,
unless of course you don’t have a pot plant, trowel or plant pot, but
then you’d be a bit of a pillock, wouldn’t you? The Pawn's in the
shops now at £ 14.95 (128K only).

STRIKE!

Come on lads — all out! Down
tools (oo-er) and follow us
through the factory gates, 'cos
we're going for a game of ten¬
pin bowling. Eh? Where's the
heroic class struggle, the workers
united against the evil top-hatted
Tory landlords tearing the bread
out of the mouths of screaming
babies and dropping their
helpless bodies into vats of
molten lava? What's happened
to Arthur Scargill? Ah, but it's

not that sort of strike we're
talking about, brothers. This is
Mastertronic's stab at the ever-
popular ten-pin bowling
simulation, and it's reet petite
(not to mention gradely). £2.99's
the dosh you'll have to fork out
— that's less than 30p a pin,
bargain-lovers. It'll be out as you
read this, and we'll be reviewing
it as soon as we've finished
playing it. Clunk! Clatter clatter!
Clang!

ZYNAPS

Wheee! 450 screens! Hewson has
high hopes of Zynaps, its latest
fizzy little shooter. It’s been
written by Dominic Robinson, the
man who brought Uridium to the
Spectrum (heavenly choir) and it’s
apparently faster then a speeding
Renault Awesome asteroid
storms, murderous alien minions,

earthshattering rocketry,
discarded weaponry and
hyperspace units are just some of
the things you have to deal with
before the final conflict can begin.
Know what that means? No,
neither do we. Still, the
screenshots look a treat and it’s
out in June (£7.95, natch).

9

•PREVIEW-PREVIEW-PREVIEW-

FUTURE SHOCKS

PASS YOUR
DRIVING
1 TEST

Are you ready for your driving test? It probably depends on whether
you've had any lessons or not. But now your fears are over (What, all
of 'em? Ed). Yes, all of them, 'cos now you don't need to sit glued to
the Highway Code before taking your test — just load up
Audiogenic's latest prog (written by Supersoft from a book by Mike
Nathensen) and you'll soon find out where you're going wrong. It's
got forty tests of knowledge plus an exam you'll have to pass if you
want to get through the test itself. Pass Your Driving Test is now
reversing round a corner into your local software shop (smash) where
you can pick it up for £7.95.

leviathan

O monstrous fish! O mammoth bream! O gargantuan tench! Hang on, this
ain't no plankton eater we're talking about here, it's the latest Speccy
game from English Software. Leviathan is a less-than-colossal spaceship
which you have to guide through three different planet zones, with up to
ten different alien attack waves per landscape. Coo! The idea is to
combine a Zaxxon-type perspective with all the latest whizzy Uridium -style
manoeuvres, to make one real zinger of a shoot 'em up. It's a tall order,
but the screenshots are certainly not run of the mill. There'll be a review
in the next issue — the game's out sometime in May, and the damage will
be £7.95 (or to you madam, £7.95).

GUN SHIP

The challenge of flying a helicopter gunship ... kerboom! Microprose’s
latest hyperaccurate simulation gives you the chance to fly the AH-64
Apache, one of the world’s most advanced warrior helicopters, from the
safety of your own Speccy. Alternatively you could, if you wish, move to
the US, train for years to become first a top helicopter pilot, and then
get your hair cut very short so you look slightly barmy (essential if you
want to succeed in the American forces). But why bother? Gunship only
costs £9.99 on the Spec, while training as a helicopter pilot could cost
you thousands of pounds and most of your hair. The game features
high-speed low-level flight, advanced weapon systems and
instrumentation and who knows what else. Out in June.

UIIMtYOS

“In the beginning when the Lniverse was new, the seven Ruling
Lords did create their own races, and so Wodan created Man and
Chronos created the Mystical Dimension Weavers.” Cor lumme! If
you were planning to put together a race of sentient beings, you can
imagine calling them .Man’, can’t you? (Or ’Goblin" or Collarstud" or
‘Chelsea’ or ‘Chegwin’.) But ‘Mystical Dimension Weavers' — far out!
But as the inlay notes continue, “This however has nothing to do
with vou, as the game is about firing groups of eight consecutive
pixels at much larger conglomerate groups of pixels in the hope of
amassing a memorable score.” Ah, honesty! Chronos is in fact a
reallv ripping new shoot ’em up from Mastertronic or, more
specifically, the clever clogses responsible for Agent X. It’ll be in the
shops any moment now at the usual price of £1.99.

liiiailiilik.

♦ *

gjjMMr gpwar gw* gmttn |«r-»

LunU/Vi

0002500

io

•PREVIEW-PREVIEW-PREVIEW

FUTURE SHOCKS

Saviour of the universe? Again? Ah, but this is the Cosmic Shock
Absorber, as opposed to the Intergalactic Ignition Lights or the Universal
In-Car Compact Disc Player. Happily strapped into your CZ Neutrozapper
fighter, it's up to you to blast your way through the different dimensions
of chaos (sounds like an avant garde rock band, that, doesn't it? "Yep, it's
the latest album from The Different Dimensions Of Chaos, entitled The
Source Of Life Itself") to find the source of life itself, the interstellar Lake
of Protozoic Slime. Yummy custard! What Martech seems to be getting at
is that CSA is another megazappy shoot 'em up with elements of strategy
and fast thinking and pots of violence. What could be better? Out in the
very near future, it'll cost £8.95. Can Earth possibly survive? (Yes. Ed).

The Big Sleaze

Well, dis punk came in an' he
said, hey, look at dis game from
Piranha, an' we said, why you
talkin' in that silly voice, Phil, an'
he said, well it's dis spoof of de
great American detective gismo,
all dose PI fellas, Philip Marlowe
and Sam Shovel. Wassit called,
we cried. De Big Sleaze , he
croaked, riddled wid bullets. As
he died in our arms (dat
Managing Ed an' his cap gun) we
loint dat dis was de woik of
Foigus McNeill and Delta 4 (an
English translation of this

sentence is available from the
usual address). De time is de
1930s, and you're Sam Spillade
with some cases to crack (Owl).
It's tough on the streets, unless
of course you've got a Renault 5
(Okay yah!) The Big Sleaze is
soon come from the fishy
funsters at Piranha — May's the
current deadline, and the price is
£9.95. But if you enter our
compo on page 41, you could
win your very own copy, plus a
video of The Maltese Falcon 1 .

And dot's de truth!

BUBBIIlk

What’s the new Ultimate game about? Hard to tell (judging by our swift
shufti, it looks like a cross between Marble Madness and Nightshade)
but we’ve got one of those famous Lists of Features that always
accompany Ashby games. So in Bubbler, you’ll find Crabs, Explosions,
Mystery Tunnels, Scrolling Messages, Omni-Directional 3C Movement,
Direction Gauge, Poison Bottles, Impaling Spikes, Continuous Pause,
Mystery Bubble, Trapdoors, Automatic Collection, Multi-Angled Slopes,
Firing Flying Saucer and Corks. Sounds like fun, dunnit? Full review in
the next issue, but the game should be in the shops by the time you
read this!

“I 1

oo

•PREVIEW-PREVIEW-PREVIEW-

FUTURE SHOCKS

◄

►

STRIKE EAGLE

It's quite a responsibility, having
$20,000,000 worth of plane
under your control. But you're
that sort of guy. Tough. Mean.
Moody. So strap into your
ejection seat and prepare for
take-off. Microprose's topselling
jet fighter simulation lets you fly
combat missions, strafe ground
targets and engage enemy
aircraft (it's a July wedding, by
the way). Lots of tasteful

missions from a chance to relive
the Vietnam War to a
remarkably diplomatic attack on
Colonel Gaddafi's tent. You've
played games set after a nuclear
holocaust — now's your chance
to start one. £9.99 is the
admission price but you'll have
to wait until June. Meanwhile,
turn to the centre for an
exclusive F -15 Strike Eagle
poster!

The bomb has gone off (poo
gosh!) The Earth is uninhabitable,
not unlike parts of Essex. All
human life has withdrawn to huge
underground complexes, where
they've been sitting watching old
vids of Moonlighting and feeling
glum. And now they're even
glummer, as the barren surface of
their world has been taken over by
aliens, who are claiming a sort of
intergalactic squatters' rights, or as
they put it — naff off or we'll melt
you into lasagne. So the
underground earthies send up
Cyborg 64 (is this game on the
right computer?) to zap the
intruders. Trouble is, every time he
gets 'em, they mutate into another
form of alien, so you can never
quite get rid of them. Tricky. Still,
never m.r.cr, 'cos it hasn't happened
yet. Alien Evolution is out in June
from Gremlin, a sort of Ultimate-
style arcade adventure which
needs a quick eye and twitchy
fingers. And it's only £4.99!

Whoooh-whoooh! Casey Jones,
steamin' an' a-rollin'! (/ don't
wish to know that — kindly leave
the stage! Ed). Yup, pardners,
we're goin' trainspottin' with
those mean coyotes at US Gold!
Yee-hah! You know those films
where John Wayne or James
Stewart find themselves
wandering along the roof of the
train endlessly confronting men
with black hats, evil chortles and
obvious hygiene problems who
are working for the corrupt
Governor Spang? Well, Express
Raider is that scene turned into a

computer game, with several
ninja masters guarding the
rooves when most normal people
would be sitting in their seats
enjoying their Inter-City sizzlers
(£7.99 including tomato ketchup).
After you've kicked them in the
Rockies you transfer to a horse
and have to shoot evil train
passengers. And all on a bright
yellow horse! That's camouflage
for you. Express Raider's rootin
tootin, lootin' an shootin', an' it'll
be out before you can say
"Sergio Leone" at an amazing
£8.99.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood riding
through the glen, Robin Hood,
Robin Hood with his merry men.
Sounds a bit of a smug git, doesn’t
he? Ah, but this isn’t just Robin
but Super Robin Hood —
presumably he’s the only 12th
century outlaw to wear his
underpants on the outside of his
trousers. Code Masters has placed
him in the dangerous environs of
Nottingham Casde, where he
must rescue the luscious Maid
Marian from the evil bearded
Sheriff, forsooth. Of course it’s all
just a giant excuse for another
platform game, but so what when
it’s as much fun as this. Like all
CM games, Super Robin Hoods
available at a mere £1.99, and
you’ll find it in the shops around
now.

NEXT MONTH...

...watch out for previews (or
even reviews) of The Tube from
Argus (no Paula Yates, sob),
Gremlin's elastic new title Thing
Bounces Back , Cholo from
Firebird (well it says it'll be
ready), Domark's The Living
Daylights (dangly dang dan
dadada dangly dan dan) and
possibly news of Killed Until
Dead , US Gold's latest
chortlerama. Plus lots of other
bits and pieces we haven't
thought of yet. Can you wait?

12

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Overseas orders and trade enquiries welcome. Telex 933740 Ref. 190-12450

WRITE TO THE ED, YS, 14 RATHBONE PLACE, LONDON W1P IDE

This month’s top three Hit List games for the star letter. All letters win a YS badge

SWEET MYSTERY OF
LIFE...

While reading the letters page
I saw that a lot of people said
that you were ugly and they
don't see anything pretty in
you in your photographs.

Could you tell the readers this
— I have actually met T'zer in
the flesh (and very nice flesh it
is too) and she is very pretty —
the photographs don't show
her best side (the camera
always lies).

How about a photo of
Rachael Smith? I know that
everyone wants to see how she
looks, and I also know that she
doesn't like to be photo¬
graphed. So come on Gwyn,
push her in front of a camera.
Also, why oh why does
Rachael have to review the
macho man style of games? Do
you enjoy asking her to review
them and then struggle with
them? Besides, it's bad to take
Rachael's mind off Gwyn,
nawty T'zer!

If you don't print this letter
then I'll send my throbbing and
aching heart to Hannah Smith
from Trash instead of you, so
there!

Your best fan,

Anthony A Johnson
Willesden Green, London

PS Did you know that
STARTING POINT is an
anagram of TRAINSPOTTING?

Hannah Smith doesn't work for
Thrash any more! So any
throbbing things you want to
get rid of will have to be sent
to me! Rachael said she'd pose
for a photo , but then Phil
offered to take it , and she lost
interest. She muttered
something about 'slobbery little
oik'... Which only leaves me to
be bleached white in the
blinding light of your flattery.
Bask, bask! Ed

LOAD O'COBRAS

I have been reading your mag
for nearly a year and I'm glad
to say YS is the best magazine
I buy. However I am displeased
to say that having read reviews
and previews of a few of your
games (such as Aliens, Top
Gun), I was very disappointed
in the graphics. These games
were simply rip-offs. The only
reason they sell is because of
the excellent films. Ocean

made a right hash of Top Gun
and Cobra while Electric
Dreams cocked up Aliens!

Another hash of an arcade
conversion was US Gold's
Breakthru which, played in the
arcades was brilliant. This hash
cost me £8.99 — I was not
pleased. On the other hand I
was pleased with Uridium.
Gauntlet was another game
with good graphics and
playing capability. This review
was excellent and I hope to see
something like this in the next
issue. So, a pretty mixed bag.

I'm not taking it out on US
Gold or Ocean, because they
can and do produce very good
games) Infiltrator, The Great
Escape etc), so keep it up! I
must say that your preview of
Short Circuit was excellent and
next time I go to our local
games supplier I will definitely
buy it.

Anyway I won't bore you
anymore.

Duncan Stoddart (a fan)
Marlborough, Wilts

It's quite true that in a lot of
cases more money is spent on
the name of a game than the
actual game itself, so it's
probably best to check out the
reviews in YS before you buy.
And remember, our Seal Of
Approval means that all the
games reviews are of finished
copies, not just screen shots,
like in some magazines I could
mention! Ed. Cor, you sounded
just like Alan Whicker then!

Phil

DRAGON'S LAIR

When I was looking through
the Dragon User magazine at
school recently, guess whose
name I found emblazoned
across the top of the adventure
section? Yes, you've guessed it,
our very own Mike Gerrard!! I
was truly shocked — what was
he doing in there? Was it really
him? Did he really work for
them?

Hal Maughan
Thetford, Norfolk

PS I wonder if we are related?

Yes, you guessed it. The man
hiding under the cleverly
designed pseudonym 'Mike
Gerrard' is none other than...
Mike Gerrard! Mike writes so
much so fast that he's currently
writing just about everything
you read in computer
magazines, except this. Ed.

(Tee hee. Wanna bet ? Mike)

HURDIEHO!

I have always bought my
games in Sweden, but they
seem to be much cheaper in
England. So if I want to buy
some games from a mail order
list, do I have to send money
with my order or can I pay
when the things come to the
post office as usual?

Per Danvind
Sollefted, Sweden

Most companies prefer you to
send your money with an order.
Don't send cash — a cheque or
international money order is
best. Ed

DOODLEBUGS

Keep on doodling — it's a doddle! Send your
cartoons to Doodlebugs, YS, 14 Rathbone Place,
London W1 P IDE. There's a prize of a new game
for each cartoon printed.

You can King Fu 21 Go to it, Kovin Rooco of Towbury Wolls.

15

LETTERS

WOT A WAG!

My name is Waggs. I love YS ,
in fact it's the best mag out.
Please say hello to Hex for me.
Now I wish to become Editor
of YS. Why I hear you ask, well
because I'm skill.

Waylon "Waggs" Davies
Newtown, Powys

We//, unfortunately for you, my
dearest Waggipoos, I'm much
more skill than you! Har har. I
said hello to Hex for you, but
all he said was 'Humph'. Does
this mean anything to you? Ed

ELITE'LL JOKE

With reference to your Elite
scoop, you'd have to be a real
wamalamadingdong to fall for
that April Phoole. What sort of
a berk would believe that red
herring? Well certainly not me.
So then, what's going to be my
prize for being the first one to
expose your little joke?

Robert Stafford
Swinton, Manchester
PS I'd prefer cash rather than a
cheque.

Tee hee. Glad you liked our
little jocular jape. Phil did it
using the Multiface One,
tickling up the resultant screen
using Artist II. Your prize? Well,
we're a bit short of cash at the
moment. Have you got change
for a herring? Ed

ELITE'LL JOKE II

Ho! Ho! Blimmin' Ho! Elite
scoop? Ha! Hidden planets
indeed! How can you expect
me to believe your April fool if
you make it so obvious? A.M.
Phoole (fool!) of Berksl A dead
giveaway. And you really blew
it using Artist II: wrong
character set (take a closer
look at those g's) and a grey¬
scale dump when it should
have been a simple display file
copy. Clever though. Shame I
switched my brain on before I
started reading the mag!

Yours trainspottingly,

Andrew Lyons
Hanwell, London
PS If you think I'm going to
drool over T'zer, you're wrong!
Well, okay then, just a quick
one. DROOOOL!! There,
satisfied?

Eurch, that's enough! Here,
have a tissue. Great, you win
the Red Kipper award... Oh
dear,; Phil seems to have eaten
it! Ed. No, it went to the first
guy. Hey; shame you forgot to
switch your brain on before
you wrote the letter. Phil

KILLIN JOKES

The letters pages are becoming

TRAINSPOTTER

AWARD

CAREUSS WHISKERS

I hereby claim the trainspotter's
award for your March issue. In
your article on Auf
Wiedersehen Monty you talk to
and picture the Monty
programmer, one Peter
Michael. The bloke in question
is in fact Peter Harrap unless

depressing. All people write in
about is to get a YS badge or
suck up to T'zer. How about
some good sensible topical
issues like, should Brian Clough
become a computer pro¬
grammer after his computer
game? Did Biggies ever fly
Concorde? Come on, we can
do better.

Alan McGregor
Killin, Scotland

How about topics like how long
is a piece of string, or maybe
How Ha/ is a Chinaman? Send
your replies to Old Jokes Dept,
Your Sinclair. Anyway , a bit of
ego massage never did a girl
any harm. Ed. Perv! Phil

PYJAMA PARTY

I can't believe how brainy I am.

I have just invented something
that could earn YS millions —
Your Sinclair pyjamas. Just
think, you could go to bed and
read all the reviews and letters
on your pyjamas. Your friends
wouldn't half be jealous of
you. This could be the new
kinky trend for bedtime.
Andrew Lewis
Wallasey, Merseyside

Whoopee, another one to add
to my collection. Ed

AND THE THREE BEARS!

Having been continously
narked off at people who write
in giving their amazingly
brilliant high scores on games,

I have decided to set the
record straight. Yes, there now
follows the list of high scores to
end all others, the banana boat
of desserts so to speak (Eh? Ed).
Rambo —• Freed the prisoners,
made ten sequels and beaten
Russian, Mexican, Czecho-

you know something I don't,
like he's gotten married to
George Michael or something.

While I'm writing, I'd also
like to ask a question. Where
do you find all those stray dogs
who write for your tatty
magazine? Byeee!

AJ McNair
London E5

Well actually; the rumours
about Peter and George have
been flying round the office for
weeks, but our lips are sealed,
so we can't tell you any more.
Sorry! A trainspotter award is
on its way to persuade you to
keep it quiet. As to the stray
dogs, well, we get them from
the same place you bought
your toupee — Battersea Dogs
Home! Ed

EEK-EEK-EEK!

What a bunch of demented
bog-brushes. What a load of
absolutely overgrown baboons.
The IQ of all the YS crew must

slovakian and Liechtensteinian
(?) boxers.

Match Day — Have begten up
Maradona as revenge for
knocking us out of the World
Cup.

Frank Bruno's Boxing — Lost to
Tim Witherspoon.

Paperboy — Got told off by
Debbie Greenwood for not
delivering to her house.

Pretty impressive, huh? By the
way, I think Caron Keating
(Who she? Ed) is zonkingly
better looking than T'zer.

Paul "Hello Betty"

Belson

Solihull

You shouldn't be writing to me
to boast about your high
scores. What's wrong with Hex
Loader? On second thoughts
don't answer that. Send your
tips and a pic to him and you
may end up as one of Hex's
Heroes. Ed

RADCLIFFE'S BABIES

Dear Teresa,

I feel I can call you Teresa,
being a regular reader of your
mag. I have enclosed two
photos of myself to show you
what I was going to do.

The first one shows me trying
to phone you up, but after
waiting for a few mins without
a reply I decided to chew it
instead (you probably wouldn't
understand me anyway).

The second one shows me
on my turbo police car ready
to come to London in person to
have a word with you, but yet
again I couldn't make it. By the
time I'd got my teddy and
bottle packed it was time for
bed.

So I decided to write to you.

amount to three.

Almost every month you do
a preview, for example the Auf
Wiedersehen Monty one in the
March issue. You then said that
it would be released in Easter.
Then, turn back a few pages
(rustle rustle) to the charts and
look under the YS Bubblers,
and what do we see but Auf
Wiedersehen Monty — not
again! So are the YS crew just
a bunch of recruits from the
zoo, or I could be made to
keep quite with one
trainspotter award.

Rory "finished Feud the
second time I played it"
Dow, Cheltenham, Glos
PS Bring back the dinosaurs!

There's so much bribery going
on — it's appalling. Okay ,
here's your award. Now I must
go — it's feeding time for the
animals. Ggrrrrrooooowwwllllll!
Oh flippin' heck, it's that
tyrannosaurus again! Ed. No
it's not, it's a Roget's Thesaurus.
Phil

Please could you put more
screenshots in your mag (and
more photos of teddies and
bunny rabbits) and more
information on the object of
the game. For example, I play
Firelord quite a lot by just
banging the keys and laughing
when the man moves. But my
dad cannot understand half of
what you're supposed to do
when he plays it properly after
I'm in bed.

Could you send me a badge
for my coat to show everyone
when I'm in my pram?

Phillip Greenough (aged

U)

Radcliffe, Manchester

No sooner said than done! I'll
wave my magic wand, and
make a bunny appear on the
Head Over Heels pages...
whoosh! The badge is winging
it's wdy towards you... mind
you, should a baby be handling
such sharp objects? (Ho ho). Ed

FREE! WEATHER REPORT

It's raining in Newcastle today

John

Gosforth, Newcastle

Uncanny! Simply cut this letter
out and pin it on your
doorframe. Then every day you
can tell what the weather is
like in Newcastle... well, nine
times out of ten. Much better
than a messy bit of seaweed,
eh? Ed

1 6

^...REQUIRING A-l VISION TO *S.
APPRECIATE THE FANTASTIC GRAPHICS
CALL FORMATS) AMD EVEN PARALLAX
SCROLLING ON THE SPECTRUM!.. J

'.AWESOME STAMINA
IH TH£ FIRE-BUTTON

la FINGER...

?oiN “Wt

fA«/V<0lI> \

S^v/AP

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LETTERS

A STOUR NOTE

This time I'm writing on a
serious subject. After seeing
"Daffy Duck's" letter in the
April issue, and reading your
reply, I think it's time someone
genuinely told you the true
facts of piracy from our point
of view.

Firstly, I know why the writer
of the letter did not give his
real name and address. Not
because he's a coward, but
because he knows that doing
so could well lead to him being
tracked down and raided by
GOSH and/or FAST, and he
doesn't of course want to be
fined thousands of pounds.

If you hate pirates as much
as you say you do, and you
agreed to print no letters that
were sent in by pirates, then let
me tell you it would be a very
small letters page. Now if you
can show me a non-pirate with
several new games, then I'll
show you either a well-paid
person or an out-and-out liar.
And I'll bet that unless the YS
team who own Speccies are
paid good money, then even
some of you lot have or have

SMALL PRINT

PPPPS ? think I'm going to run out
of roo...

Elliot Curtis,

Watford(ish)

Run out of what? Rooikats? Rooks?
Root nodules? Roosters? Please be
more explicit! Ed

I think the magazine has improved
a lot since T'zer took over as
Editor, but where is our crossword?

I love doing crosswords.

Robert Kenny Griffiths,
Aberystwyth
/ couldn't agree with you more.
There's absolutely no hope of
finding a crossword in Frontlines
this month! Ed

Who is that slinky broad snogging
the lamppost and leaning on the
overweight bog brush in your T*
shirt ad?

Barry 'Baz the Spaz'
Cheeseman, Wilts

That's Phil actually. And the
overweight bog brush is none other
than the Man Ed. Ed

had pirate games at some time.

At the moment, the closest
comparison to the software
industry is the record industry.
Albums are far, far more
widely copied than software,
yet the industry stays on top.
How come? Let me tell you
how...

Firstly, the record industry
does not publish massive
double-page full-colour
advertisements in every
relevant magazine advertising
the same product for three or
four months in a row. (Are you
listening, Ocean?)

Secondly, generally with a
record you get what you pay
for — a track on a record has
as much time, planning and
effort put into it as your
average game, and certainly it
provides as much pleasure.
However, on an album costing
£6.95, you would expect
around eight to twelve tracks.
For the same price, you would
be lucky to get a popular game
(are you taking notes, all you
£14.95 game producers?)

Next, copying a game is not
similar to nicking an album
from Virgin — it's more akin to
copying it from somebody who
bought it from Virgin.

Lastly, have you ever noticed

I have absolutely nothing to do
with that playboy, Jeffrey Archer.

Stuarf Archer,

Aviemore

I bet he paid you to say that! Ed

Will you marry me?

Graham Scott,

Poole

No. Ed

PS The letters PS really stand for
Pervy Staff, 'cos you all are.

Luke 'Ace' Phillips,

Stafford

Cor! Wahay! Cop a load of that!
Us? Pervy? Never. Ed. Actually
they stand for me. Phil Snout

When will the T'zer T-shirt be
coming out?

Keith Gladdis,

Manchester

You mean the T'zer shirt. I'm
gladdis to tell you — never/ Ed

PPPPPPPPPPPS A starfish can turn
its stomach inside out.
Anonymous, Codsall,
Wolverhampton

So can Phil. Bleeeeurrghhhhh! But
we won't go into that. Ed

how the big companies don't
like £1.99 budget games being
in the charts next to their
£9.95 creative geniuses? And
shall I tell you why? Simple, it's
because these pocket-money
games are excellent value for
money, and the piracy rate for
Mastertronic and Firebird
games is literally zilch
compared to those of the
enormous producers. (Could
this have something to do with
their price, which also has
something to do with the fact
that they rarely advertise?)

This, high and mighty
software-empire owner, is the
plain fact of life: your
overheads are too high, so
your prices are far too high. If
you must know this from other
people, why not publish a
survey in YS asking all pirates
to fill in which games they most
pirate and why? Better still, ask
Mastertronic how it keeps the
pirates at bay. And T'zer, if
you call yourself a fair judge,
then print this letter so that the
real facts can be known to us
all.

Ainsley Rowley
Stourbridge, West
Midlands

Having a good reason to
commit a crime doesn't make it
any less illegal , or reduce the
punishment for those people
who are caught red handed.
Having said that , the people
who have most to gain from
software piracy aren't the few
unemployed kids who can't
afford the games , but the real
villains who copy and sell the
games on a really commercial
basis. But you've made a few
interesting comments. Have
any other YS readers something
to say on this topic? Ed

SIX APPEAL

I have 101 interesting uses for
YS (well six but it's near).

1) Tightly rolled up it makes a
good weapon to hit people
with (take a hint, Ex Ed).

2) Flat out it makes a good
beret.

3) It's also a good sunshade
(but there's no sun!)

4) Stick two together and it

makes a paper bag (to put
over T'zer's head!)

5) Good wallpaper.

6) You may even want to read
it!!!!

Clare "Slartibartfast"
White

Penzance, Cornwall

PS I think the new-look mag is
great but please cut down on
the titles for compos (and
Cleggs!) We've only got an old
geriatric in our post office... so
help him! Cut it down to a
couple of million words!

PPS I'd give you my last Rolo
any time, Gwyn!

Slartibartfast? Ed. Gesundheit!

Phil

A HIINNERD AIT EIGHTEE!

We claim to be the first people
to beat Jammy Jim in the final
of 180 by Mastertronic and it
only took us two days to do it.
So hard luck Mark Williams.
Paul Ketteridge and Neil
Harvey

Saffron Walden, Essex

Hmm. You didn't say how much
beer it took! Ed

I SUBMIT!

I've written a computer game
called The Ultimate Adventure
on my Spectrum 48K which I
think is worthy of publication.
But I'm worried about how to
market it. I would be grateful if
you could tell me what price I
should look for, which
publishing company I should
send it to and whether or not I
should get a copyright for it
before I send off the game.
Patrick Clark
Dublin, Eire.

It's best to give prospective
companies a ring before you
send your game to them , just to
check on their needs as far as
submissions are concerned. Ask
to speak to the software
acquisitions department , as
they're the people who'll be
looking at your game , and find
out if it's the kind of game
they'll be looking for. A good
wheeze is to look around and
see who publishes something
similar to the game you've
written and try them first. Good
Luck! Ed

Swords and saucory(I) by Joremy Jackaman of Bury St Edmunds.

“IS

The Ultimate Warrior

THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR THE ULTIMATE GAME

AVAILABLE FOR:

COMMODORE 64
48k SPECTRUM
AMSTRAD CPC

DBGDflDIflM

HARRfiRlAtsJ

OOOOO

SPECTRUM VERSION

Available from all good computer game stockists,
or by mail order from: Palace Software,
275 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NL.

AMSTRAD VERSION

Send cheque or postal order for £9.99 (Cassette),
or £12.99 (Commodore or Amstrad Disk) plus 80p P&P.
Access and Barclaycard holders telephone 01 -278 0751.

Hydrofool — Sweevo II

.. ftl

To Be Announced.

20

o«

Yes, Sweevo is back! FTL has
into the aquarium planet Deal
Sweevo's World. Phil South swims
you the whale report!

ydromation, so the burble
attached to Hydrofool would
have it, is the most irrelevant
contribution to computer
graphics since the flashing
cursor. Greg Follis of FTL says "Well,

Hydromation is a sophisticated technical
term... it refers to any bit of animation
that's got a bubble in it!" And so it is with
Hydrofool, where everything has a bubble
in it!

You are Sweevo, the robot from the
classic arcade adventure Sweevo's World
who, having returned intact from his
adventures on Knutt's Folly, has now been
despatched on more important... on more
epic... exciting... Oh, okay! So he's got to
muck out the aquarium planet, what do
you expect from a robot of very little
brain? A guest spot on Mastermind?

Saving the cosmos from plastic-eating
aliens? Tsk! On your boat, sonny!

The aquarium planet, Deathbowl, is just
a shortjshuttle fligfjt from tyrsjhojpe planet,

€8 bit and bri

so in no time at all (his flippers didn't
touch the ground!) Sweevo finds himself in
a wetsuit, paddling in the shallows at the
entrance to the giant aquarium.

Deathbowl, it seems, has become grossly
polluted over the years, so now the only
solution to the problem is to pull all four
plugs and drain off all the water. Each of
the plugs can be removed by placing
special objects around it, onto squares in
the floor called 'take' squares. So-called
because they take what you're carrying if
you swim over them. The objects you need
will either be just lying around the place,
waiting to be picked up, or may be guarded
by vicious man-eating fish (maybe even
knee nibbling chips?). You may also find
that some objects are even a part of
one of the game's many inhabitants, so
slicing, dicing and battering them with
your trusty speargun may well be
in order (a twist of lemon too, p'raps?).

There are six levels to play, and access
to the different levels is by floating up on
bubbles which go through the ceiling, or
"whizzing down through little whir!
the floor. As well as pjypzle objects
collect, there are little oilcaft8g§fe>o. ^hegB^
can prolong the life of youi.fWfeefro^

because when hd^mfJs*int€Pirocks, clams,
oysters, wi ^les. iej^fisb and other knee
nibifflrs, pewits aS taken off his
rMston^i^ne<Mng that he's rusting
"npjjjb: the more oilcans he's got, the
i^nqgpdl! It's os simple as that.
ofao / is cr brill (ho ho) chase,

, ,JUzzle W\a laugh game, but
"more importantly, there's a game*
m in there too, with a fair amount
% V C Pf 'graphic sophistication, and
^0t of fun t'boot. And the upshej!
is that Hydromation isn't as irrelevant as FTL
Said it was — it's any piece of animation
with a bubble in it that mi$&& you laugh!

Hydrofooling

Sea Slugs are cheery little chappies. They
spring out of the ground when you least expect
it, having the effect of either boinging you up in
the air, or shooting up in front of you so fast
that you bump into them. The best tactics to
adopt with these slippery creatures are either to
go right round the edge of the room, but
quickly in case there are any close to the edge,
or to weave your way slowly across the room,
timing their movements and avoiding them.
Although they're a bit of a pest, they're still one
of my favourite and funniest graphics from the
game!

CD

Wriggly Spear Hints Gun ^

Here’s a tourist’s guide for those about to take the plunge into
Deathbowl’s fishfood factory.

Creeeaaakkk! When Sweevo bumps
into anything, or anybody, he starts
rusting. The amount of rusting is
shown on this specially built, solid
state nipponese Rustometer™, which
in the preview version wasn’t
operating. The batteries must’ve run
out!

Here he is, Sweevo the rapidly rusting
robotoid! In this new game the Robo-
Master has furnished him with a brand
new wetsuit, and it’s Sweevo’s job to
get around without puncturing it Of
course he does, but he can fix it up
with the little oilcans.

• What does Sweevo moan when it’s
time for lunch? “Whale meat again?”
Ho ho ho ho ho! There’s a lot of
whales in the game, plus some
prawns, oysters, jellyfish, starfish,
fish-fish, and a sidedish of
hollandaise sauce!

This counter and icon represent the
number of oilcans that Sweevo’s
collected. Well, oilbeblowed!

Hoopy Hydromation in action! Not
only do you get Hydromated bubbles
coming out of Sweevo’s snorkel, but
you get these little devils bubbling
(what else can bubbles do?) up from
the floors below. Some of the bubbles
burst before lifting you up to the next
level, meaning you can get objects
placed higher up in the room.

In order to separate the creatures
from the objects (sometimes their
limbs! Eur!) that they’re carrying, you
have to use your weapons. (Ooo-er!)
The speargun is quite effective,
making a nice spiattery pattern all
over your wetsuit! There’s a pan¬
dimensional, transputational spoon
too! (What’s one of them then? Ed).

Some objects are guarded quite heavily... well there are a few creatures with eyes and teeth
that’ll be fully prepared to spot you and take a nip out of you. The dear solution is to give
these ravening beasts something to chew on that isn’t your leg. There’s a plaice for
everything and everything in its plaice.

Placing objects around the plugs in the plug rooms will activate the plugs. The trick is to find
the objects and put them in the right order. Now as there are approximately 210 rooms, you
may find this quest a little more of a challenge than you first thought. (Glub) Yep, you’ll have
to get your skates on!

“What a tremendous game! The graphics are 1
superbly designed, the characters perfectly
animated, the gameplay so addictive you’ll never
want to switch off. There is plenty of variety and
an abundance of humour. Head Over Heels is set
to become a classic."

“Beautifully-defined characters
that glide around the screen
without a glitch. Should grace
the shelves of every PC owner." /

Hi! My name’s Mr. Head. Some say I’m the one with the brains but I don't think my flat footed friend would agree.

I’m a real sharp shooter, but without my pal Mr. Heels I d get nowhere fast... or slow! I can jump like a flea
and even glide but Heels is the Daley Thompson of the two of us - he’s FAST! Together, if we can find each
other, we really do make an awesome twosome, and that’s the only way we can overcome the emperor ,

Blacktooth. The last time we entered Castle Blacktooth we found the crowns of THREE of the supressed '- ^ \

Kingdoms but by that time I’d run out of doughnut ammunition and my buddy was lost somewhere in the Safari world
- it was the closest we had come to defeating that rapscallion - we were jumping for joy, splitting out sides, dying with
laughter ... we were Head over Heels!

COMMODORE

AMSTRAD PCW SPECTRUM

AMSTRAD

Ocean Software • 6 Central Street • Manchester • M2 5NS
Telephone: 061 832 6633 - Telex: 669977 Oceans G

Y5/FTL Competition

Win three complete
swimming sets — mask,
snorkel, flippers, swimming
trunks, water wings — and 50
copies of FTL’s Hydro fool'.
You’d be a drip not to enter.

Y owser yowser yowser! So
you’ve read the megagame
preview, you’ve marvelled at
the game, you’ve thrilled to
the cover, you’ve eaten the
stew . . . now win the compo! Yes, in
honour of our superthrilling coverage of
the megabrill (Ha! That’s a joke, ’cos the
Brill is a sort of fish ... ha ha .... oh,
please yourselves!) Hydrofool, we’re doing a
compo with FTL. Hydrofool, as you’ve just
read, is the sequel to Sweevo's World, in
which our rusty hero splishes around a
giant aquarium spearing fish and pulling
out the plugs. Hmm, sounds like the YS
office to us!

FTL is offering some absolute splashing
prizes for this compo. There are three
complete kits for three keen water fanatics
— just think what a dash you’ll cut on the
beaches of Bognor (Pass the dash cutter,
Spock!) sporting this nifty gear. There’s a
pair of swimming trunks, a mask, snorkel,
flippers and, for those of you who aren’t
waterbabies, a pair of water wings thrown
in too — we’d hate you to disappear down
the plughole. And for the 50 runners up
there are copies of the game to enjoy —
just the thing if it turns into another great
English summer and rains about a yard a

Rules

Entries must come urchin in by June
30th or you’ll be as red as a kipper.

Employees of Dennis Publishing Ltd
and FTL had better not plunge in or
they’ll get filleted.

The Ed’s decision is final — believe
us, you wouldn’t want to tackle that
denizen of the deep! ( One whale joke and
you're fired. Ed).

day. Just remember to take your Speccy
along wherever you go!

All you have to do is take a look at these
totally ridiculous pictures. Notice anything
different between them? Yeah, thought you
might. Put a ring round any differences
you see, count ’em up, bung the total on
the coupon, cut it out ( I wasn't doing
anything! Ed) and bung it, or a photocopy

in an envelope and send it to All The
Bubbles Get Up Your Nose And Make You
All Tickly Compo, Your Sinclair, 14
Rathbone Place, London W1P IDE. Oh,
and don’t forget to tell us your shoe size
and whether you want small, medium or
large swimming trunks, else you’ll look a
real prawn if your trunks keep falling down
and your flippers fall off.

I’m not a complete mollusc — I spotted.differences between the two wacky

pictures!

Name.

Address

I .Postcode. ■

Shoe size. Trunks size □ Small □ Medium □ Large

23

Photography.Tony Sleep

GET A YS SUB!

You get more than just the frootliest
Speccy mag on two legs when you
subscribe to YS. For a start there's a brand
new Ocean/Imagine game worth £7.95 —
absolutely FREE! Not some old bilge that
even the cat's got a high score on, but the
latest, hippest and newest from the
company's top secret Manchester games
lab! And if you get a sub, you
automatically become a member of the YS
Subs Clubl There's a newsletter with every
issue written by the great and good Mike
Gerrard, with compos and special offers
and all manner of other goodies — and
it's exclusive to members of the Subs Clubl
And all this — 12 issues of YS, free corky
new game and a pile of glistening
newsletters — will cost you a mere 15
Nelson Eddys! And not a single Jeanette
Macdonald! So you can see that when we
say serious bargain, we mean serious
bargain!

FREE GAME WHEN YOU BUY A YS SUB!

PICK ANY ONE OF THESE SPANKING NEW OCEAN/IMAGINE GAMES - YOU'LL GET IT
FREE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO YS!

Army Moves

Cross terrain fraught with
danger. Get information
locked in the enemy HQ.

Worth £7.95

Mario Brothers

Mario and Luigi are here —
they'll play as a team or
against each other!

Worth £7.95

Head Over Heels

Get Head and Heels together
and out of Blacktooth. They're
an awesome twosome!

Worth £7.95

Tai-Pan

You're Dirk Struan, a pirate
and a smuggler, after riches
beyond your wildest dreams!

Worth £7.95

[ YOUR SINCLAIR SUBS

j How can I refuse this amazing offer. Please start my
I subscription to YS from the.issue.

■ Please tick the appropriate box:

■ □ One year £15 UK and Eire
| □ One year £20 Europe

| □ One year £25 rest of known cosmos. (Unknown cosmos,

| rates on application.)

j NOTE: This offer applies to overseas readers too!

| The free Ocean/Imagine game I’d like is:

| □ Army Moves

□ Mario Brothers

■ □ Tai-Pan

| □ Head Over Heels

J Your free game will be sent separately from your first copy of YS. Because
| these are all brand new games, we can't put a date on when they'll arrive.

I Please be patient.

■ I enclose my cheque/postal order for £.made

j payable to Dennis Publishing Ltd.

I_

---!

□ Please charge my Access/Visa/American Express/Diners/

Mastercharge card number.

(Delete where applicable)

Signature.>....

Name.

Address. :

Now send the completed form with payment or credit card
number to:

Your Sinclair Subs, 14 Rathbone Place, London W1P IDE. If
you don’t want to cut up your magazine, use a photocopy of
this coupon.

OFRCE USE ONLY

.SPY..

Start . . . . .

1_.JLl1.lL

C9 9 99

End._._._,_i

Rate._i i

D D M M Y Y

I-.I_i_I

24

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WE ALSO OF^ER YOU:

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★ THREE MONTH WARRANTY ON ALL REPAIRS

★ ALL FAULTY COMPONENTS RETURNED TO CUSTOMER SO YOU THE CUSTOMER CAN SEE WHAT'S WRONG

★ ALL ICs REPLACED ON CARRIERS — Makes life easier

★ ALL COMPUTERS RETURNED POST PAID AND INSURED IF POSTED IN THE U.K.

★ FREE — ON-OFF SWITCH FITTED TO ANY SPECTRUM REPAIR (fitted in Spectrum Casing — Please state if required)

SPECTRUM REPAIRS - £16.00
KEYBOARD REPAIRS - £10.00
INTERFACE I
MICRODRIVE
ZX PRINTER
SPECTRUM 128

- £19.50

- £19.50

- £19.50

- £19.50

(Prices inclusive of Parts, VAT and Postage)

Repairs undertaken on Commodore, BBC, Amstrad, IBM, and Atari — We are an approved ATARI SERVICE CENTRE.
^ Quotes given on repairing any Printers and Disk Drives.

SORRY NO FREE SOFTWARE - YOU'VE PROBABLY GOT IT ANYWAY! - ON-OFF SWITCH IS HANDY THOUGH .

For fast delivery service — Securicor £6.90

_ Payments can be made by Cheque, Postal Order, Barclaycard, Access or American Express.

1.99

NEW

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KSOFT SKULLDUGGERY

KSOFT WINDSURF

KSOFT BATTLE OF BFVTAM

KSOFT CE ATTACK

KSOFT MGHTMARE

KSOFT LUNAR ATTACK

KSOFT AMAZE

KSOFT STAR BUSTER

GRWN MATHSWLLI

LONGMN RKXXE OF THE SPHINX
LONGMN GO MICRO
LONGMN LUNAR LETTERS
GRWN GET SET
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GRIHN NUMBER FUN
HEIMN CARJOURNEY
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HEIMN BALLOONING
GRWN FUNDAMENTAL ALGEBRA NEW

LONGMN HOT DOT SPOTTER
COUJN STARTER PACK 1

COUJN STARTER PACK I

COUJN GAME WRITERS PACK

GRWN THEOREM PYTHAGORAS

GRIFIN TA8LESUM NEW

GRFW FORMULAE AM) COMPOUNDS
SPIN KDS ON KEYS
SPIN WNOERCOMP
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TOE UPANDADOEM
SPIN MAKE A FACE
FPRJCE LOGIC LEVELS
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FPRCE DANCE FANTASY

FPRICE NUMBER TUMBLERS

ELS RANCH
SPW FRACTION FEVER

GRIFIN ATOMS* MOLES f

GRWN MENTAL ARRHMETC F

GR*N WTROTOTRCONOMETRY

F

COUNS PUNCTUATION PETE F

CRYST THE ISLAND
COS TIME BOMB
TERMIN SPACE ISLAND
COS CATERP1LAR
COS MAGIC MEANES
COS GERMANS FUN
BUG AQUARIUS
VIRGIN LOJIX
BUG STYX
ASP PLANET FALL
ART1C REFLECTIONS
ART1C COSMCOEBRI
SINC MAKE-A-CHP

CJAMES JUMP

SINC CLUB RECORD CONTROLLER
SINC VU-CALC
SINC VIWO
CRL RESCUE
SILVER UNKWORD: SPANISH
KTEL MARINA/ALCN SWARM
ADVENT SPCERMAN
MAGIC DRAGONFIRE
RABBR PHANTASIA
RABBIT CENTRO POOS
INCEPT ARABIAN NIGHTS
CENTUR SCUBA ATTACK
ARROW RJGHT FROM THE DARK
INCEPT WARLORD
YORKTV ME AND MY MICRO
PAXMAN WORLD CUP FOOTBALL
PAXMAN ON THE OCHE (DARTS)
PAXMAN SNOOKER
PAXMAN GOLF
PAXMAN BLACK HOLE
PAXMAN VIOLENT UMVERSE
PAXMAN BACKPACKERS
PAXMAN THE PYRAMC
PAXMAN DRIVE W

PAXMAN BEAKY AND EGG SNATCHER
PAXMAN DOOMSDAY CASTLE
PAXMAN SPECTRUM CHESS
PAXMAN ROAD RACERS
PAXMAN DIMENSION DESTRUCTORS
MOSAIC W»TR OF THE WORLD-t-BOOK
TERMIN CARPET CAPERS
MICROM STARCLASH
PAXMAN VCEO POOL
PAXMAN CASINO ROYALE
PAXMAN CHESS THE TURK
PNGUIN BESEIGED
PNGUIN WTO THE EMPIRE
VISION S.O.S.

MIKGEN AUTOMANIA

BUG6YT RAPSCALLION

BUGBYT STAR TRADER

SPARKS DANGER MOUSE IN DBLTRBL

THNEMI DESERT BURNER

PHOGRAXCa

OCEAN GFT FROM THE GODS
ELECT BUZZ OF
DUREL SCUBADIVE
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MICROM JASPER
SPARKS MONEY MANAGER
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RAREST HAREFWSFR
MIKROG PYJAMARAMA
SPARKS STCRIPPENS
BUGBYT TURNKXL

AGF D/RCCT MAIL DISCOUNT

SINC HORACE AND THE SPOERS

SINC CHESS

SINC CHEQUERED FLAG

VIRGIN FRANKY

VIRGIN STRANGE LOOP

SINC COOKIE (ROM)

SINC PSSST (ROM)

SINC JET PAC (ROM)

SINC PLANETOOS (ROM)

PULSNC BUTTERFLY

SILVER SAM STOAT

PAN JULIUS CAESAR

PAN HENRY rV

PAN MACBETH

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PAN TWELTH NIGHT

MICROt MICROL USE AND LEARN

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GENSAS BODYWORKS

MIKGEN HERBERTS DUMMY RUN

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INCEf? JEWELS OF BABYLON

MIKGEN EVERYONE'S A WALLY

PAXMAN RME TUNNELS

PAXMAN PSI GAMES

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PAXMAN MISSION ^POSSIBLE

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QUICK TRAXX

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BUGBYT COMPUTER COOKBOOK (2TAPE

VISIT OUR I SHOWROOM AT
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80GN0R REGIS.

790

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SPARKS SPECIAL DELIVERY

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THOR GMNTS REVENGE
ROSE MUSIC/QUAZER (2 TAPES)

2.95

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A VIEW TO A KILL PACK
A View to a kill /0€^ {
Friday the 13tn^ f *
Code Name Matt II
Pyramid

Test Match CricMtf
Beaky & the
Egg Snatchers

" Cri|s j

W hat a triumph for

Konami, eh! Nemesis
has zipped straight in
to the charts at
number 2 this month and it’s
only being held off the top spot
by Bulldog’s Feud. Mastertronic
must be dead chuffed that the
first game on its new label is
doing so well.

Budget titles are going great
guns this month, in fact. There
are three more new entries in
the chart and they’re all selling
at £2.99 or under. There’s
Curse Of Sherwood from
Mastertronic, Vampire from
Code Masters and Dizzy Dice
from Players.

As far as the rest of the chart
goes, Elite has definitely
delivered a winner with
Paperboy — it’s been in the top
twenty for over five months,
which isn’t bad going, you have
to admit. Also still there is good
ol’ Olli And Lisa, Speed King 2
and, of course, US Gold’s
Gauntlet And what about the
great games around that haven’t
appeared in the charts yet?

Keep your eyes pinned here.
(Bleeeurgh!)

12 MONTHS AGO

Position

Title/Publisher YS Rating

1

Movie/Imagine

9

2

Barry McGuigan's World
Championship Boxing/

Activision

8

3

Spellbound/ Mastertron ic

8

4

Winter Games/US Gold

8

5

Rambo/Ocean

8

6

Commando/Elite

9

7

Yie Ar Kung Fu/lmagine

8

8

Zoids/Martech

9

9

Gunfright/Ultimate

7

10

Hypersports/Imagine

8

YS BUBBLERS

•

Head Over Heels/Ocean

•

Hydrofool/Gargoyle

•

Sentinel/Firebird

THIS MONTH'S

TOP TWENTY TITLES

Position

(Last Month)

Weeks in
Chart

Title/Publisher

YS

Rating

▲

5

Feud/Bulldog

8

★ 2 (NE)

1

Nemesis/Konami

8

A 3 (7)

9

BMX Simulator/

Code Masters

7

▼ 4(3)

21

Paperboy/Elite

9

▼ 5(4)

25

Olli And Lisa/Firebird

9

★ 6 (NE)

1

Curse Of Sherwood/

Mastertronic

—

A 7 (16)

17

Speed King 2/

Mastertronic

7

A «w

9

Agent X/Mastertronic

7

▼ 9(5)

13

Gauntlet/US Gold

9

★ lO(NE) 1

Vampire/Code Masters

4

▼n Hi

5

Leader Board/

US Gold

9

Ai* 0 9 )

5

Thrust 11/Firebird

9

^13 (NE) 1

Dizzy Dice/Players

7

►14 (i4)

17

180/Mastertronic

9

▼is (8)

13

Konami's Coin-Op Hits/

Imagine

—

Vl« P)

5

Bomb Jack 11/Elite

6

▼ 17 (13)

13

Super Soccer/Imagine

8

Vie (io)

9

Fist ll/Melbourne House

9

¥19(12)

9

Ninja/Mastertronic

5

▼20(11)

13

Footballer Of The Year/

Gremlin

6

This chart is based on the MicroScope chart as compiled by Gallup.

Calling All Castaways!

Want to be alone with your Speccy and your eight favourite games to

nlotr tnam Fa xrAiir AAntnnt ) T /\t nn Im/Mir rrUt-

piajr utviii iw ntau o cuulcul; l»cl us miuw LUC Cigui gdlllCS

you’d take with you to a desert island, and why you go overboard

O Km it tK cm TA/vn’t fnrnof fA Kimrr o in nrifU .mim on

ciwvui. U1WJ1. t LKJL gv-L lu L/Ullg a UlUg“OUUL iU WlLll yuui UOL SU

that we can print your piccy too. Each month the author of the
wittiest of ’em will get fame, a ES badge and the top three games for
his trouble.

Doesn’t it wring your heart to see
this poor, defenceless little chap.
He’s Daniel Chapman and he was
cast away on a desert island when
he was just a little chick. He’s got
his Speccy, though, and a list of
eight games he wouldn’t be
without. Chirp away, Daniel . . .

Enduro Racer/ Activision
Almost any simulation will keep
me happy! It’s fast, different and
the graphics are brilliant.

Ping Pong Amagine
I love playing table tennis, but my
brother never plays, ’cos I always
beat him. The computer’s better
than he is, though.

Fighter Pilot/ Digital Integration
Shooting up other aircraft all the
time isn’t everything — well, not
quite, anyway. Not all simulators
allow you to do aerobatics, but
this one does.

Paperboy/ Elite
The graphics are great, even
though they’re monochrome, and
it’s very addictive — you always
want to see what’ll happen on the
next day.

The Great Escape/ Ocean
The details on the buildings are
brilliant, even though your fellow
POWs are wet drips!

E/iYe/Firebird

The dogfights are very realistic —
I sometimes feel dizzy from all the
loops and rolls!

Shockway Rider/FTL
Very original, and good fun to
play, but it shocked me to see
how violent it was.

Chuckie Egg/A!riY

Well, what did you expect? This is

a triffic game and I love it!

26

*«»£%;

a *ithor of

mintK

Wsnujtcy

AT*t(/T

Dry, dusty deserted field, in the heart of Rrizona. Soft
rest the landing clouus of the Mortian silver ship.

Many were the cockles of delight from toll ond vicious
chickens. Oft strolled through cheery coctus grove went
Zoppo our young hero, showed peacefully contentment.

A broken shell of Gephont Bird across his poth become.

His eyes ond eors olerted up. His nose o-twitchy raised to

the wind. He sow them leove their silver ship; he sow their mutont hatching. He heard
their evil plans for dogs ond beosts. He soid, ”1 shall not feor these fiends from Plonet
Mors, they ore but chickens". He wished he hadn't for every single chicken turned to
where he stood, ond hoisted up their fearsome weapons. With nothing left to do, he
jammed the broken egg shell on his heod. The confusion reigned for half o tick ond
while he ron owoy, o thousand flaming bolts of fire burst oil oround his toil.

RVRIIR816 FROM Rll GOOD COMPUT6R R6TRIL OUTL6TS

Software Projects Ltd., Unit 7, Beorbrond Complex, Allerton Road, UUoolton, Liverpool L25 7SF.
Telephone: 051-428 9393 Telex: 627520

HAS FINALLY BEEN TRAPPED,

GA M E S

• »

THE ARCADE SMASH H1TTHAT RECREATES
SHE SPEEDMND EXCITEMENT OF THESE
CLASSIC ENCOUNTERS

Young or old, whatever your age\ 1
everyone enjoys the antics of the
cunning Road Runner as he baffles
and bemuses poor Wile E Coyote.
Or does he?...

This is your chance to really Find
out as you take on the role of Road
Runner in this comic, 611 action
extravaganza that recreates these
nail biting chases and the fast
moving excitement to perfection.
Speed through canyons and along
the highways following the trail of
birdseed left for you to feed on (is
this the First trick???) Dodge your
way round the onrushing trucks
keeping an eye out for the perilous
mines and feather ruffling, leg
busting oil slicks. What dastardly
plans has the sleazy Wile E Coyote
got in store for you as he lurks in
hiding, cowardly awaiting his
moment to enjoy a succulent roast
of “Road Runner and French Fries*'\
We’re sure you’ll overcome all the
dirty tricks he can throw at you with
ease, agility and grace and a
haughty “Beep Beep ” Overcome
them that is if you Ve got nerves of
steel, the reflexes of a wildcat and
the speed of the fastest bird
on two legs, otherwise its sorry,
goodnight and “Burp Burp* 9 !!!

CBM64/128

£ 9.99 Tape

£ 14.99 Disk

Spectrum 48K

£ 8.99 Tape

Amstrad

£ 9.99 Tape

£ 14.99 Disk

Atari ST

£ 24.99 Disk

Another Great

Compilation from

i

I

Spectrum/Commodore/Amstrad - Cassette £ 6.95
Commodore/Amstrad - Disk £ 11.95

Tell your friends also available for BBC, Electron & C16/Plus 4 Computers

(Titles may vary by format)

I The name behind the great games

Beau Jolly Ltd., 29A Bell Street, Reigate, Surrey RH2 7AD. Tel: 07372 22003

HACK

And now, from Norwich, it's the quiz of the week... don di don, dan di dan, dan di
dandant dant dan... and here's your host. Hex Loader!

FUTURE KNIGHT by Paul Plinkitt

Fuchia night? Is that a sort of violet evening sky? Oh, Future Knighfl Ha ha
ha ha ha! Oh, I’m a silly old Hex, I really am. I can’t help it. Mummy
dropped me on me data buss when I was little, ever since then I can’t
understand anything unless people speak clearly up my trouser legs. Well
here’s a map of Future Knight by Paul Plinkitt, to help me get over my
' misfortune (sob).

C Ne-hah! Hello, good

evening and welcome to the
bouncing hints’n’tips chat/
quiz/game show you’ve
come to know and lurve, Hack Free
Zone. I’m your glitzy cheezlet and
velvet collared host, Hex Loader, and
for the next half hour we’ll immerse
ourselves in the general fun loving
dribble that is The Zone’. Hiya hiya
hiya! Hello to all my fruity little
yoghurts, and a big wet kiss to all of
you Zoners who sent in a tip this
month. (Smack! Slurp!) Hah,
sincerity? You can’t buy it!

And our contestants this week are
all from Purley, Norwich, Braintree
and Ipswich... except the ones that
ain’t. Har har. Just a little joke there.
Daaaaan daaaaaaaaaaaan!

DRAGON'S LAIR

Okay, fingers on buzzers. Here’s
your starter for ten... how do you
finish Dragon’s Lair I (Bzzzzzzzzzzz)
Yes, Robert Brand of North Shields?

“It’s a snip! Here’s the continuation
of the solution started by Anthony
Hetherington in the March YS.

Level 2 (Skull Hallway)

Nasty Move Count (Jumps)

Skulls Up 10

Hand Fire 3

Skulls Up 10

Hand Fire 1

Hand Fire 1

Bats Down 8

Goo Left 5

Hand Fire 3

Goo Up 6

Hand Fire 1

Goo Right 4

The Goo has to be dodged
perfectly or it’s goodbye Dirk!

Level 3 (Burning Ropes)

This level is simple, apart from one
place where the fire button has to be
pressed at exactly the right time.
The ropes swing in five distinct
positions; far right, mid right,
centre, mid left and far left. The fire
button must be pressed when the
rope is in the ‘mid’ positions. Then
you’ll get across. It’s not worth
swinging back and forth on the
rope ’cos you’ll fall off!

Level 4 (Weaponry)

Here you employ the same tactic as
Level 2, but the nasties are
different. Proceed as follows:

Nasty Move Count
(Jumps)

Sword Fire 4

Bali & Chain Fire 4

Jug Left 5

Axe Fire 1

Head Right 3

Shield Right 6

Axe Fire 1

Head Up 3

Axe Left 3

Arrow Fire 4

Arrow Fire 3

Shield Up 2

Level 5 (Giddy Goons)

If you’re using the joystick, you’re
in for a tough time, as the enter key
comes into play. It’s quite easy, as
there’s no rush. When there are
only three walls left, kill the nasty
and run to the left (you don’t need
to jump). Run into the goon and
keep your finger on the fire button.
Eventually you’ll kill the last goon
and jump onto the final platform.

Level 6 (Tentacles)

Once again the level 2 and 4 tactic
comes into play. Tentacles coming
down are slashed, and those
coming up should be jumped.

Level 7 (Disc Park II)

This is identical to level 1’s disc
elevator, apart from the fact that
you jump onto it from the right
hand side. Just hold down all the
control keys at once, and you’ll
stay where you are.

Level 9 (Get ‘Singe’d)

WARNING: This stage will start as
soon as it’s loaded - there’s no
‘Press Enter’ message.

All of the rocks can be hit three
times by Singe. I haven’t been able
to get past the ‘mush’, so I can’t
say how you can get the dragon on
his deathbed. (Ahhhh). So all you
Dirks will have to work this out for
yourselves.” Well thanxx a lot, Dirk-
brain! Two points to you, plus a YS
badge.

SHORT CIRCUIT Parti

Wow! Short Circuit has only been out
for about half an hour and no sooner
does it hit the streets than we get a
complete solution and a map! From
the same people!

Karl Fudge and Ian O’Connor of
Fife (peeep!) in Scotland have
trundled their little wheels around the
game and given me this chunk of
stuff which is so big I’ll have to
serialise it. Okay, my little banana
trousers, here it is, fingers on
buzzers, for Part One of the solution:

URIDIUM Pt 3

y-xHi <i>o

□ no Ely

<IMU:

im -b \b ■ * 4 * "ini'' - r ^ §3 . TJr

E-5

Ahh, at last! And far in advance of our contumacious competitors’ efforts
to copy us (see your local branch of WH Schmidt’s), we bring you the final
part of Dave of Didcot’s map of every level in Hewson’s spiffy shoot’em
out, Uridiuml This really was a feat of some daring and skill, Dave, and
our hearts go out to you...(squelch! Eurrr!)

31

SHORT CIRCUIT

Life might not be a malfunction, but
sudden death at the hands of the
enemy droids is! So, Number 5, be
prepared! Use the map here in
connection with the tips in the hints
‘n’ tips section of this warm and
frootly issue, and you’ll survive to
‘Input Data’ another day! Oh you
little cutie! Many many many
thanxx and a big smacker to Karl
Fudge (Mmm, my favourite
sweetie) and Ian O’Conner for this
stupendous feat.

So use the map here in combination
with the fruity hints and asparagus
tips in the main body (whoor) of
this month’s Hack Free Zone , and
you can’t go wrong... well, any
wizardly pilot error is down to you.
Can’t say we don’t give you anything.

by Karl Fudge and Ian O’Connor

“First of all LINK with the
terminal in room 2. Load in the
following: SEARCH and USE. Then
search the Drawer Unit and take the
Blue Passcard. From room 2 go to
room 32. Use the Blue Passcard to
open the locked door. Go through
the door and use the Blue Passcard
again. The door will now stay open.
Then go to room 34 and LINK with
the terminal and load: DROP. Then
drop the Blue Passcard on the
workbench in this room. Now go to
room 22 and search the Spares
Box, Robot and Desk. Take the Red
Passcard from the Desk, the Lazer
(sic) Software from the Robot and
the Jump Hardware from the
Spares Box. Go to room 25 and use
the Red Passcard to open the door.
Go through the door and use the
Red Passcard again. The door will
now stay open. Then go to room 47
and drop the Lazer Software and

Jump Hardware on the Drawer Unit.
Drop the Red Passcard on the Sofa.
Now head up to room 5, and search
the Desk. Take the File Key and go
to room 42. Use the File Key to
open the locked file. Drop the File
Key on the Sofa, search the file,
and take the Pink Passcard. With
the Pink Passcard go to room 5 and
open the locked door. Once inside
the room search the Drawer Unit
and you’ll find a Drawer Key. Take
this and head off to room 16. Open
the Drawer Unit and search it.

Inside is a White Passcard. Take
this and go to room 36. Drop the
Drawer Key in the Plant Pot for
future use. Use the Pink Passcard
to open the locked door, but
beware when entering the room
’cos within is an enemy droid so
get in and out very quickly. Drop
the Pink Passcard on the Table for
future use. With the White Passcard

go to room 44. Use the White
Passcard to get through the door
(you can only use this one). Once
inside there’s no turning back! Go
straight to room 36, because the
droid that was in 37 has moved to
26. Search the Plant Pot, and take
the Drawer Key that you left there
earlier. Go into room 37, and unlock
the Drawer Unit. Inside is a Grey
Passcard. Take this and drop the
Drawer Key somewhere. Exit this
room, and pick up the Pink
Passcard from the table.,.” What?
What’s next? Whadda you mean, I’ve
gotta wait until next issue? Hurumph!

SHAO-UN'S ROAD

And the next contestant in our quiz
quiz quiz, is (Yie-Arrrrrr) Simon
Ward of Berks. Here’s your question,
is there a cheat mode on Shao-Lin’s
Road ?

“Yes there is.” Well, stop chewing

that sock and tell us all about it.

“Okay! The solution to playing
Shao-Liris Road is as follows:

When the game loads set the
controls to your choice, then press
the comma key, followed by the
down cursor key. Keep them down,
and you’ll be flicking through the
levels. Release both keys at the
desired level. I have only tried this
on my Spectrum+, but it might
work on other machines.” Well! Ain’t
that just the bee’s nose? Thanxx a
lot, Simon.

FIST II

“Aaaaiiiieeeeeyyyyaaaaahhhhh!”

What? What what? Wazzat? “Hyah!”
Oi! Gerrof, leave me alone, I’m trying
to do a quiz show! “Yah yah!” Tsk!
I’ve only just got rid of one pyjama
suited chappy, and another one
jumps out of the flippin’ closet! Who
are you? “Nigel Ison of Staffs. And

32

I've got a complete solution to Fist
II.” Yeah? Well, great. Fling it
across... (whack!) Owl Not your fist,
dummy. Fist //! “Oh sorry, Hex.

Slight misunderstanding... Okay,
for the purpose of this solution let’s
have L=Left, R=Right, D=Down,
and U=Up. And it goes like this: R,
0, R, U, L, PRAY, R, U, R, U, R, U, R,
D, R, GET SCROLL, R, D, L, PRAY,
R,R,D,L, JUMP HOLE, GET
SCROLL, R, D, L, U, R, U, R, U, R, 0,
R, D, L, JUMP HOLE, PRAY, R, D, R,
GET SCROLL, L, PRAY, R, DOWN,

R, GET SCROLL (hidden behind
panel in hut), D, R, D, R, U, L, PRAY,
R, U, R, U, R, U, R, U, R, D, R, D, L,
PRAY, R, D, L, D, L, U, R, D, R, D, R,
D, L, PRAY, R,D,L, PRAY, R,U,U,

R, D, R,D,L, PRAY, R, (When you
go in the cave to the right of the
ladder, you must somersault or
you’ll fall down a hole), R, FIGHT
WARLORD. As soon as you’ve
beaten him to vermicelli, that’s it!
You’ve done it!” Vermicelli? Wasn’t
he an Italian painter? Oh no, that
was Botulism. Sorry, do go on.

“And now for some fighting
tips - NINJA: The safest move
is a sweep or a floor punch.
PANTHERS: There are only two
moves which can kill them, and
they’re a mid-kick or a floor punch.
PEASANT SOLDIERS: The best
move on these is the flying kick. Try
to do about three at a time.

“Here is a table of the most
powerful kicks and punches:

1 - Flying kick 7 - High punch

2 - Roundhouse 8 - Floor punch

3 - Back kick 9 - Back sweep

4 - High kick 10 - Low kick

5 - Mid kick 11 - Low punch

6 - Sweep

“And that’s it! Do I get a prize?”

Yes, a VS badge, and think yourself
lucky I don’t give you a kick up the
trousers an’ all! Tch! Feh! Fumf! And
the next one please!

Here’s my Ups for the hardest level in Ocean’s engrossing wallbatterer -
number 23. You start with nine of those 3-by-3 grids of bricks, and okay, it
looks relatively tricky but no more so than any other level. Wrong! On each
grid, the outer eight bricks are of the fiendish silver variety that need to be
hit more than once - and on this elevated level you’ll find that you need to
bash ’em four times! And there are no rinky little capsules to help you either -
not until you’ve blasted through the silver blighters, at least All you can hope
for is that one of the nine coloured bricks inside does eventually glean a
capsule - and then it’s got to be a goody! To start, try and aim the ball so that
it bounces into one of the horizontal gaps - bottom right is best The ball
should ricochet enough times to get through the first silver bricks and maybe
your first capsule. Other than that I have no answers. It’s just hard!

FEUD

Solutions for this little number are
feud and far between... ha ha ha ha
ha! But here is our next contestant
from Somersham in Cambs, to tell us
all about it! (applause). Hello, what’s
your name? “David McCandless.” Hi
there David, and how long has your
McCand been missing? Ho ho. Just
a little joke there, Dave. “Very little.
And it’s David.” Oh ho ho. Well off
you go then.

“Okay, here are my tips. Always
look for herbs which make up
missile spells like Fireball,

Lightning and Sprites as these are
more effective. Once you’ve armed
yourself with a spell, never leave
the book open at the correspon¬

dence page as the spell will
disappear if you do. Beware when
entering the herb garden (bottom
left on the map) as there is a
guardian which chases you and
drains your energy. To kill Leanoric
quickly, simply arm yourself with
three missile spells and wait by
your cauldron. Leanoric will appear
after a while, totally vulnerable to
your spells. If you find that
Leanoric has a herb before you,
just move into a neighbouring
screen and wait for a minute or two.
Then re-enter the screen and the
herb will be back again.” Okay, that
sounds fine, but for three bonus
points and half a fridge freezer, can
you tell me all about the spells you
need? “Sure I can: Teleport - this

spell will teleport from anywhere
you like back to your cauldron;
Protect - this one will make you
invulnerable for a short while;
Sprites - this is a missile spell;
Zombie - this will create a slow
moving zombie that’ll follow you
around. If Leanoric is on the screen
the zombie will appear on top of
him, draining his energy; Swift -
this allows you to move at twice the
speed for a short time; Freeze - if
Leanoric is on the screen, this will
stop him from moving;
Doppleganger - will produce a
replica of you which will divert
Leanoric’s attention while you do
other things; Lightning - a missile
spell; Invisible - guess what this
does; Reverse - will make
Leanoric move in the opposite
direction to the one he wants to;
Heal - self explanatory; Fireball -
a missile spell. That good enough
for you?” Pretty darn good! Well
done, David. (PS. You can see
David’s hacking (ptui!) work on the
Hacking Away page, as he’s one of
ZZKJ’s regular contributors!)

oh dear, I’m afraid that means we’re
out of time for tonight, ladles and
gentlespoons, so you’ll have to wait
until next time to see all the rest of
these fan-flippin’-tastic arcade
hints’n’tips. And scores this week are
Ariya Priyasantha 200, the Rest Of
The World, nil... What? Ariya isn’t in
the show? Next month, bub, with a
solution to Contact Sam Cruise.
Watch out for it, Blue Eyesh!

Okay viewers, see you next time,
same time, same channel, same
load of old twallap. I’m Hex Loader
and this is the end of the show... and
remember it’s your votes that count,
and opportunity only knocks once,
then it goes out for a bite to eat. That
reminds me, I’m hungry.

Byeee!

C lick Bzzzzzzzt. Hey, what
are you doing in my
dressing room? Get lost!
I’m getting changed! Oh,
you want to know about
Hex’s Heroes? Oh okay then, deary,
pull up a wardrobe mistress and sit
yourself down.

I tell you what, there’s more and
more animals getting hi-scores on top¬
selling games these days. It’s quite
incredible how adaptable household
pets and zoo-fed camels are, but the
evidence is right here in these
photos.. .pass me that album. (Rustle
flip rustle). There, look at them...

This fine young puss is Steve Blake
of Bradford, and he’s got a story to tell
you about The Great Escape. “On the
11th January I escaped from the
prison in The Great Escape. There
one thing I want to know. I’ve heard
there is a rope, but I can’t find it
anywhere. Please tell me where it is.
PS What’s your second name?” The
rope is in one of the tunnels you should
have gone through to escape...how on
earth did you miss it? As to my second

Steve Blake
The Great Escape /Escaped

UUIUUH ouuu

Dynamite Dan III Completed

Martin Stonebridge
Feud/Completed

name, it’s Loader, or did you mean my
middle name? Well I’m not telling!
(Rasp!)

Eurr! What’s this one? It looks...well,
I really can’t say...what exactly do you
mean by this outrageous photo,
Gordon Cobb of Newcastle Upon
Tyne? “I have completed Dynamite
Dan II. Isn’t that just fab? The plccy is
in fact a rubber glove full of water. It’s
at least one and a half foot long!” The
things some people will do to get a
laugh.

And finally, we have...yes, you
guessed it, a zoo-fed camel! His name
is Martin Stonebridge, and he’s got a
Feud tips for few... I mean a few tips for
Feud, in fact...he’s got a complete
solution! He’s completed the game and
noted down the exact procedure.

WOW! (Watch this space for next
month’s exciting episode.) Okay, lovey
deary possum, here’s an autograph for
you, now be a deary lovely possum
cherub and close the door softly on
your way out, I’ve got a teensy weensy
headache...(WHAM!) Aaaaaa!

33

/SneL H+

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9 list of other items please send 30p (refunded agaisnt first order). All new releases despatched on day of relea
To order send cheque/postal order/Visa details to: Dept. MY. GOEL COMPUTER SERVICES, 45 Boston Road. London W7 3SH
FSffJ Visa cardholders may order by phone (24 hour Ansaphone).

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7

£ ON THE r

ARM!

War! What is it good for? Absolutely
everything if you’re a fan of computer
wargames. And if you’re not, Richard
Blaine reckons you should be!

C omputer war-

games have been
around for quite a
while now — CCS
brought out one of
the very earliest, War, way
back in June 1984. However,
they’ve never really had the
appeal of arcade games,
though I can’t really see why.

All you need to play arcade
games are fine-tuned reactions
and a good joystick wrist —
there’s often no need to
engage your brain at all.
Wargames, on the other hand,
you have to think about.

Haven’t you always wondered
what would have happened if
Germany had won the war, or if
Julius Caesar’s boats had
sunk. So, if you’re getting
bored with zapping aliens why
not treat yourself to a real
challenge — give a wargame a
go!

Action Stations

Wargames give you the chance
to refight the great battles of
history. You have to bear in
mind all the different things that
affect how well your troops will
fight — how to supply them
with food and ammo, how to
keep their spirits up, where
your reinforcements are
coming from, when you should
attack, and when the best thing
to do is run away!

Most wargames are
historical. As different periods
of history interest different
people, there’s a wide range of
games, one of which is sure to

suit the period of history you’re
into. You can travel back to
ancient Rome and fight the
Punic Wars all over again in
Lothlorien’s Legions Of Death,
or you can fight in the
Napoleonic Wars in Austerlitz,
also from Lothlorien. Then
there are the WWII games such
as The Bulge, Battle Of Britain,
Vulcan and Iwo Jima and
games based on more recent
conflicts, such as PSS’s
Falklands ’ 82 . Alternatively, if
you’re interested in such
things, there are games based
on less obvious battles, such
as Johnny Reb II from
Lothlorien which is all about the
American Civil War.

Some wargames, though,
aren’t based on battles that
have actually happened, but on
what might happen in the
future. PSS’s recent release,
Battlefield Germany is an
example. In this game, the
Russians invade Germany, and
the Third World War starts.

Let Battle Commence!

Wargames tend to follow
certain set patterns. Your
playing area is usually a map
which scrolls as you move. The
map is divided up, usually
invisibly, into a grid pattern.
Sometimes this is made up of
squares, sometimes it’s made
of hexagons, and it’s used to
show the movements that the
units of your army are able to
make. Units occupy one
square or hexagon and can
move a certain number of

areas each go.

Each type of unit has its own
abilities and these will be
explained in the rules. The
units are likely to have ratings,
representing the number of
men they have, how well
trained and supplied the troops
are, how high their morale is
and so on. When you get on to
the more complicated war-
games, these factors will have
been taken into account in the
programming so that you may
find yourself unable to do
certain things ’cos your men
are running out of ammo.

You move around the map
using the cursor keys or a
joystick to shift an on-screen
cursor. If you put this over one
of your units, you’ll be told
some information about its
status — what it is, how well
armoured it is, what its morale
is like and so on. When you
press the fire button you’ll be
able to order that unit to move
where you want it to. If you
move it next door to an enemy
unit you’ll be able to order an
attack on it. The computer will
compare your unit’s strength to
the enemy’s strength, consult a
set of rules laid out by the
programmer and, with the aid
of a random factor, decide the
result. Your attack may be
repulsed, or you may win —
this usually depends not on
luck, but on how clever you’ve
been beforehapd at manipulat¬
ing the situation.

When you (or the enemy)
reach certain goals, such as

killing the opposing general or
capturing an important bridge,
the game finishes. Whatever
your goal is, it won’t be easy.

Total War

There are a large number of
excellent wargames avail¬
able, usually published by two
or three main companies. CCS
has a great range, including
Arnhem, Desert Rats and
Vulcan, while PSS does a huge
selection — Theatre Europe,
Iwo Jima, Falklands '82 and
Battle For Midway being some
of its titles. Lothlorien tends to
bring out games based on
battles further back in time,
such as Johnny Reb II or
Legions Of Death, while
Century Communications’
Battle Of Britain is a cracking
game. One word of warning,
though. Don’t expect war-
games to be easy — they’re
complex and need a fair
amount of rule-studying before
you can really settle down to a
game, but once you do, they’re
very rewarding. And don’t be
put off by the fact that you
might pick up some history
while you’re playing — it’s fun
to see how far you can alter
what did happen into your idea
of what should have happened.
And if you start playing the
future wargames, then who
knows, you might hit on a
brilliant idea for world peace
that Reagan and Gorbachev
haven’t even considered — you
see, everybody really does
want to rule the world!

35

36

BATTLEFIELDS

Infantry move slowly and
should be used to consolidate
captured territory and hold it
against counter attack.

lllusifation:Ken Oliver

Airborne paratroops can land
just about anywhere on the
board. Use them to sow
confusion and distract the
enemy, or break a hole in his 4
defences. Don’t throw them
away too easily — they can be
vulnerable.

Towns and cities are your
targets, if you occupy lots,
you’re likely to win the game
— unless the Sutton gets
pushed, of course.

Nuclear weapons dirty the
hexagons they go off in.

These devastated hexagons
will slow units down, and may
tire them out.

Nuking people is bad. if you
must do it — use a clean
bomb!

# Paris isn’t on the
map — it’s nice place to
go for the weekend,
though.

Armoured troops are your
first attack. Don’t expect
them to hold the important
places for long, though,
’cos they’ll need help.

Mountains, forests, hills,
rivers and other geographical
features will slow you down
and help the opposing forces.
Plot your way round them
with care.

Don’t let your armour get
bogged down — it’s best as a
mobile force, used to punch
holes through enemy lines.

ith this game, PSS has
returned to the territory it
covered in Theatre Europe —
World War III. The massed
forces of the evil empire
(Reagan-speak for the Russians) pour
over the dividing line between the
oppressed eastern bloc and the wonderful
world of democracy. This line runs down
the centre of Germany, though what the
Germans think of this idea the game
doesn’t go into.

This is a triffic game,.though — one of
the best wargames for the Speccy that I’ve
seen so far. It’s very complex, though, so
don’t choose it as your first ever wargame,
’cos I suspect you’ll get nowhere. It’s a two
player game, although your adversary can
be the computer. On one side are the
Russians and their allies in the Warsaw
Pact, while on the other are the forces of
Nato consisting of most of the countries of
the free world.

Each side has a variety of different
types of unit. The infantry are tough but
slow, mechanised infantry move a bit
faster while armour units are big and butch
and terribly tough. The armoured cavalry
are semi-tough and fast, airmobile troops
are really fast, airborne paratroops tend to
drop on your head and the mountain
troops spend a lot of time on the piste.

The screen shows two maps — a large
tactical one which takes up most of the
screen, and a smaller strategic one that
sits in the top right hand corner. The large
map is divided up into hexagons, each 30
kilometers wide and you’re able to look at
a particular part of the front in detail. Up to
four units can fit inside each hexagon at a
time, though you can only see the top one.
The others are revealed when you want to
have a quick dekko though.

Below the little map you get all the
information you request. You’re told how
well supplied the unit you’re enquiring
about is, what its combat strength is, how
efficient it is, how far it can move in a turn
and whether it’s tired and wants to go
home. All these things play an important
part when you’re trying to decide when a
unit should stand and fight and when it
should hightail it out of there.

The Russian objective is to break
through the Nato defenders and reach the
Rhine as quickly as possible. However,
they’ve got to make sure that they don’t
overstretch their supply lines, ’cos
otherwise the Red Army’s done for. The
Nato forces have to keep the Russians
stalled for as long as possible, holding out
until fresh reinforcements arrive from
America. Both sides have the option of
going nuclear when things go wrong, but
it’s not advisable — neither side wins and
Europe’s transformed into a radioactive
desert.

Battlefield German ^s a really great
game, all things considered. Graphically
it’s wonderful, and the game play is tough
enough for even the dedicated wargamer.
It’s not really a game for beginners, but
once you’ve got the hang of wargames,
you’re sure to want to try this one!

I Graphics IIIIIIIIIQ

"playability IIIIIIIIOG

_ Value for Money HI8IIIIIQ
^\ddictiveness ■■■■lillDD

When you send in the tanks,
make sure the mechanised
infantry are right behind. They
pack quite a punch in attack,
and are strong in defence as
well.

Mountain infantry have a
major advantage in rough
terrain, so use them in
wooded or mountainous areas
as they’ll move quicker than
other non-airborne units.

The tactical map shows an
area about 300 kilometers
square. The top unit in each
hexagon is shown as a black
silhouette against a blue
(Nato) or red (Warsaw Pact)
square. If there are other
units in the hexagon they’re
shown by one or more dots in
the top left of the square.

This is where your status
displays appear for the units
in a hexagon. You can find out
the unit type, how strong it is
in combat, how efficient it is,
how far it can move and how
well it’s supplied. You can
also find out what it’s called
— who knows, you may want
to invite it to tea!

The hexagonal grid over the
map shows you your
movements and where the
enemy units are.

Each unit controls the
hexagons surrounding the one
it occupies. This is its zone of
control or ZOC for short.
Retreating units can’t move

The strategic map covers
most of Germany, part of
Denmark, Belgium, the
Netherlands and Luxembourg,
a bit of Switzerland and
France and a fair amount of

Airmobile troops can be
devastating in attack. They
can skip over enemy lines and
attack rear echelon troops,
causing havoc and isolating
your opponent’s front line.

GERMANY

Units must be able to trace a
supply line to either their
home map edge or, for Nato
forces only, a port. This
supply line can’t pass through
hexagons in an enemy unit’s
ZOC.

37

Bollouj JStanlegs exploration into the African jungle

could gou be the first to sag...

• • •

EUROPEAN
NO. 1 HIT!"

DIRECT FROM SPAIN,
ALLIGATA8 NEWEST
RELEASE WILL PROVE
TO BE THE MOST
ADDICTIVE GAME _
OF 1987

Featuring: _ _—

#BARBARIC
PYGMIES

• HUNGRY
CANNIBALS

# BONE CREAKING

ALLIGATORS

# DEADLY SNAKES
AND SCORPIONS
• PIRANHA BATS

# COCONUT
THROWING
MONKEYS

• MANEATING
PLANTS

... and many more
dangers lurking in
the undergrowth.

Produced under
licence from

A little bit of history with a little bit of mystery as you relive the nightmarish trek of Stanley in
his search for the long lost missionary. Dr. Livingstone. But no African jungle was ever as
forbidding as the treacherous journey that lies in wait for you. Poison darts from the pygmies,
blood splattering pit hammers in the diamond mines, spear throwing natives in the bush... even
the white men are hostile and would rather see you dead than alive. It’s spine chilling action
every step of the way with a little adventure thrown in for good measure
j***^^**# *1 - hidden gems, secret temples,??

I And don’t let the sea eagles get you!!

AMSTRAD

Tape

Disk

£8.95

£14.95

SPECTRUM

Tape

£8.95

MSXI

(MSXII

compatible)

Tape

Disk

£8.95

£14.95

CBM64/128

\ \ 1
l Y 1

^\\[J

\ ly I

V \s /

S7

LEGIONS OF DEATH

Lothlorien/£9.95

his is a two player
strategy game set
around 200BC, the
time of the Punic
Wars between Rome
and Carthage. One player
commands the Roman navy, and
the other commands the
Carthaginian fleet and each side
has to try and sweep the
Mediterranean clean of the
enemy’s ships.

First of all each side has to
build up its navy. You’ll need fast
galleys, called biremes, to grab
money from outlying ports and
zip it back to you. But you’ll also
need some bigger, tougher ships
’cos you can be sure that the
enemy is going to come
steaming (well, rowing, anyway)
after you.

Movement is as simple as
building ships. The main map
shows you the whole playing
area — the Mediterranean
between Italy and North Africa.
To the right of the big map is a
smaller tactical map — a blown
up view of the area surrounding
the cursor on the main map. To
move around you choose the
move icon, put the cursor over
one of your ships on the tactical
map and move the cursor to
where you want it to go.
Remember, though, that ships
start off slowly and build up
speed, so don’t expect to sail
from Carthage to Rome in one
go. Also, ships are gurt big
clumsy things and they tend to
run into each other. Not that this
is a bad thing — the better you
get at ramming the enemy, the

more likely you are to win, ’cos if
you ram them often enough,
they’ll sink!

The only things missing from
Legions Of Death are the legions
themselves — nary a foot soldier
in sight, they’re all sailors!
However, it’s great fun, so let’s

hear that old Roman war cry,
Delenda est Carthago, and into
the galleys, lads!

I Graphics
Playability
_ Value for Money
I Addictiveness

ZULU WAR

CCS/£8.95

i f you’ve never played
computer wargames
before, this’d make a great
game to start with — it’s
easy to understand, the

graphics are simple and colourful
and it’s an interesting subject.

The game’s set in the 1800s
and the action takes place just
after the gallant defence of
Rourke’s Drift by the Brits. It’s a

one player game, and you take
the part of the commander of the
British army, fighting against the
computer-controlled Zulu hordes.

Part of the attraction of this
game is that it looks like one of
those table top wargames. The
troops of each side are shown on
the map as if they were model
figures, seen from above, and
when they fire, little bullets streak
out to hit the target (or not,
depending on your aim). Giving
your troops orders is dead easy.
The computer goes through each
of your units in turn and you can
order them to move, or fire in a
particular direction. If one of your
units ends up next to some
Zulus, you get a round of hand-
to-hand combat. Your units are
shown by a square of soldiers —
five by five for the larger units,
going down to one by one. As
your men get injured the squares

shrink, and when they get below
one figure they’re destroyed
altogether.

A status display to the right of
the map window gives you
information on the strength of
each unit, how brave it is and
how efficient it is. As the game
goes on, and the situations
change, these levels change too.
Once you’ve slaughtered all the
Zulus you can find, and won
through to the Zulu capital, the
game’s over and you’ve won.

That’s really all there is to it —
it’s simple and zips along quite
speedily. Not an easy game, but
challenging and aabsorbing and
definitely a good buy for the
beginner.

I Graphics ■■■■■■■□□□! I I

Playability ■■■■■■■□□□ 7
Value for Money ■■■■■■■□□□ f _
I Addictiveness ■■■■■■■■□□!_||

TOBRUK

PSS/£9.95

he war in the desert
was very much a to
and fro affair, and by
May 1942, it was
Rommel’s turn to
make a thrust for Tobruk, taking
in as many allied command
points as he could. It looked like
a simple sweep from west to
east, but it was complicated by a
broad strip of mines running the
length of the map. The only ways
round were at the extreme north
and south.

In one player mode, you are
Rommel, though you can have
two player mode, when one of
you plays,the German comman¬
dant and the other plays the
Allied commander. Tobruk is your
goal and if you’re the Allies you
have to defend against invasion
while attempting to disrupt

Rommels’ supply lines and
strength.

Control round the single battle
screen is by the cursor and
movement is in stages — first the
Axis forces move and attack,
then it’s the Allies turn.

The Germans are rather short
on reinforcements, but they can
strengthen themselves in the
three key areas of infantry,
armoured fighting vehicles and
supply. To benefit from supply,
though, every unit must be able
to trace a line back to the nearby
supply point. Because of this, the
supply points must be carefully
protected. Once you’ve supplied
your troops you can set up
special missions for some of your
units, such as attacking a target
or clearing a path through a
minefield. Depending on what’s
happened during other stages of

the game, you may be forced to
hold back your attack because
your units took heavy damage or
because you’re waiting for air
support.

Tobruk provides an interesting
challenge. The rules aren’t that
difficult to understand, so

beginners won’t give up in
despair, and there’s enough in it
to give a good strategic puzzle.

I Graphics
Playability
Value for Money
I Addictiveness

□ □□

39

COnPUTER

Oi

mu

SINCLAIR ^ f m rtfhnr m f m ' I

QUALITY APPROVED REPAIR CENTRE

COOOCL
III I ll\t _ I

if*

HOW TO GET YOUR SPECTRUM REPAIRED FOR ONLY £19.95

SPECIAL OFFER! W SPECIAL OFFER!

TEN ★ REPAIR SERVICE

★ While you wait service including
computer spare parts over the counter.

★ All computers fully overhauled and fully
tested before return

★ Fully insured for the return journey.

★ Fixed low price of £19.95 including post,
packing and VAT. (Not a between price
of really up to £50.00 which some of our
competitors are quoting).

Discounts for schools and colleges.

★ Five top games worth £39.00 for you to
enjoy and play with every Spectrum repair.

★ We repair Commodore 64 s, Vic 20's,
Commodore 16's and Plus 4's.

★ The most up to date test equipment
developed by us to fully test and find all
faults within your computer.

★ Keyboard repairs, Spectrum rubber key
boards only £8.95.

★ 3 month written guarantee on all repairs. I

Why not upgrade your ordinary Spectrum into
the fantastic DK Tronics typewriter keyboard
for only £31.50 including fitting, vat and
return post and packing
Normal recommended retail price
£49.95 Replacement printed
DK Tronics key
sets £7.50
including post&
packing

Update Your Rubber Keyboard
to a New $pectrum+

Fitted for only £31.90 + £i 50 post & packing
(Also d.i y. Kit available for only £24.95
+ £1 50 post & packing)

Your Spectrum repaired and upgraded to
a Spectrum Plus for special offer price of
£50.00 complete
Same day service

BEST PRICES! / -

ARE YOU ANOTHER CUSTOMER - fed up
waiting weeks for your estimate?

Need your computer repaired fast? Then send it now to the Number One Repair
Company in the U.K., or call in and see us at our fully equipped 2,500 square foot workshop,
with all the latest test equipment available. You are more than welcome.

We will repair your computer while you wait and help you with any of your technical problems.
Commodore computers repaired for only £35.00. Please note we gove you a 100% low fixed
price of £19.95 which includes return post and packing, VAT, not a between price like some
other Repair Companies offer, we don't ask you to send a cheque in for the maximum amount and
shock you with repair bills £30 upwards. Don't forget we are Amstrad aproved for quality and
speed, don't risk your computer to any other unauthorised repair centre, we dont just repair the
' t and send your computer back, we give your computer a:-

OVERHAUL WITH EVERY REPAIR WE DO:-

we correct colour, sound, Keyboard, Check the loading and saving chip, Put new feet on
the base if required, Check for full memory, check all sockets including ear/mike and replace
where needed. All for an inclusive price of £19.95 including VAT, all parts, insurance and post
and packing. No hidden extras whatsoever, we don't have to boast too much about our
service as we have thousands of customers from all over the world highly delighted with our
service. A first class reputation for speed and accuracy. Don't forget, we also now have a
Service Branch in Manchester City centre for while you wait service.

VTHE VIDEO VAULT COMPUTER COMPANION

The Videovault has just released the most up to date and
exciting catalogue ever produced, our team of experts have
scoured the globe to find you all the latest software and
add on's for your computer, all the latest in joystick
technology, all the top and tested software titles all at great
discounts to you. Anyone can apply now, Just send 2 x I8p
stamps to the catalogue Dept, at the address below, for your
free copy, we have all the top branded items available,
delivery by return post (our usual standard). All goods carry
our guarantee of satisfaction. Never has such a catalogue
ever been produced before, including spare parts, ULA,
membranes, power supplies - all at discount prices.

Ltd.

56 wav
ribbon cable to
extend your ports for
your peripherals

£ 10.95

nils

Spectrum replacement
i power transformer
suitable for all makes
of computer £9.95
plus £1.50 p & p

Cun Shot M Rapia Fire joystick and
interface complete outfit Normal
recommended retail price £19 95 if
purchased together special offer
of only£l6.50including pip
Joystick available as separate item£10.95
plus interface available as separate item
£9.00 Pius £1 50 p & p

'Commodore
replacement power
transformer £29.00
plus £1.50 p & p

USEANY
JOYSTICK WITH

Spectrum keyboard
membranes
£5.50 plus £1.50 p & p
Spectrum Plus spare
keyboard membranes
£12.90 plus £l.50p&p
ZX 81 membranes
£5.00plus£i.50p&p

ON-OFF SWITCHES

FOR THE SPECTRUM
AND SPECTRUM

ORDER No.

1067 SPECTRUM
1067A SPECTRUM+

£ 4.95 + 1 50 p + p

140 High Street west, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 8HJ
Tel: 04574-66555/67761 Head office & access orders, queeries, t
Manchester 061- 236 0376 while you wait repair centre only.

Copyright Videovault Ltd. No. 783042 WE NOW HAVE FAX: (0) 4574 68946

YS AND PIRANHA COMPETITION

HERE'S LOOKING

AT 'iOU KID

We've got five videos of
The Maltese Falcon and 30
copies of Piranha's new
detective game The Big
Sleaze to give away in this
amazing compo! Don't be
a dick — enter now!

Y ou must remember this, a
kiss is just a kiss. They
don't write woids like that
any more, thank God. Now
listen 'ere. We got that
dumb Private Investigator Sam
Spillade on our trail and we got to
nail him quick. Here's de dope.

Dere's dis commuter company in
England, by name o' Piranha, and it's
puttin' out one o' dese commuter
games called De Big Sleaze. It's
written by some Foigus McNeill
dude. Ya with me?

"Yeah, pop. Can't ya see me?"
(Sigh). So dis McNeill bozo's done
dis game spoofin' de great American
detective films, you know? Bogart,
Edward G Robinson, Cagney...

"And Lacey too, pop?"

So I'm sailin' over to rub him out. I
want you to look after the shop and I
got this compo in YS that should
keep you occupied. Think up a
caption for dis photo of Bogart talkin
to de black boid. Den send it off to
YS and you could win one o' five
copies of De Maltese Falcon on video
and a copy of de game. Yup, legit.
An' after that, there's anudder 25
copies o' dis Big Sleaze game for de
runner-ups. It's got to be a winner.

(You too can enter this remarkable
compo. Just fill in the caption with a
hilarious gag, fill in the coupon and
send it, or a photocopy, off to Play It
Sam, Play 'As Time Goes By', Or I'll
Shoot Your Kneecaps Off Compo,
Your Sinclair, 14 Rathbone Place,
London W1P IDE.)

Rules

If we haven't got your entry by
June 30th 1987, you can whistle.
(Put your lips together and
blow.)

No members of the Family
(that's Dennis Publishing and
Piranha to you, sucker) can
enter.

Yeah, and don't get lippy with
the Ed, 'cos otherwise it'll be
time to order the concrete
overcoat from the dry cleaners.

Of all the computer magazines in the world, you had to send your compo
entry into ours. Not that we're complaining!

Name..

Address.

Postcode. I

_-_ 1

41

PAW

Professional Adventure Writer

-Spectrum 48K. Plus. 128. Ptus2-

Coming soon for Commodore J Amstrod

The Professional Adventure Writer is a state-of-the-art
graphic adventure writing system, which allows you
to design, write and illustrate, fast machine code
adventures with ease.

It provides a powerful sentence parser which allows
complex chained commands to be decoded
automatically.

Simple to use multiple process tables allow characters
and problems to be created for your adventures
Versatile graphics editor provides rubber banding',
high speed shading, scaled subroutine's etc etc.

Allows impressive illustrations to be created quickly
P and easily. .

l Has many other outstanding features making it probably!
* the most advanced authoring system available yet.

Makes full use of all the memory

on the 128K machine 95

BARCLAYCARD

VISA

Tgilsoft |^Par!^rescen t!Bar^Sout!^!amJ^044^^2765

: INTERNATIONAL

With the price of quality games
ever rising only Cascade brings you this
outstanding offer on 3 great titles. No catches -

BUY ONE TITLE AT THE ADVERTISED PRICE AND
"MAKE ANOTHER SELECTION COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGER

ACE...the air combat flight simulator. Zzap! 64 and
CCI Flight Simulator of the Year. Need we say more?

SKY RUNNER.. .‘An excellent and entertaining
follow up to ACE' - Computer and Video Games.

You play the part of future drug buster.

DISK 50...An outstanding compilation of 50 -
yes 50 - games on one disk.

Also available CASSETTE 50...Same great value. Same great offer.

Insert the number you require in the boxes below to indicate the games of your choice.

Remember...Buy one cassette — get one cassette free. Buy one disk — get one disk free.

Buy two - get two free!!!! ^

ALL CASSETTE
GAMES

ALL DISK
GAMES

E £9.95

£14.95

TITLE

DISK

CASS.

COMM.

SPECTRUM

AMSTRAD

PRICE

ACE

£

SKY RUNNER

★

£

DISK 50

★

★

£

CASSETTE 50

★

£

★ INDICATES N<

OT AVAILABLE IN THIS FORMAT

TOTAL

£

NAME_

ADDRESS.

. POSTCODE.

_ COUNTRY _

Allow 28 days for delivery
I enclose a cheque/postal order for

[£.] made payable to

Cascade Games Ltd.
or through any Post Office by
TRANSCASH (Giro No. 655 6655)

For even faster ordering when charging
to ACCESS, BARCLAYCARD, VISA,
AMERICAN EXPRESS or DINERS CLUB
use our 24 hour express order service
by telephoning 0423 504663 Be sure to
quote Ref. YS, or by post tick the
appropriate Credit/Charge Card and
enter number here

Cascade Games Ltd., Harrogate, HG1 5BG, England.

IMM

This is your Psytek 7500 Series Science Droid System Analyser"
looking after the shop while you faff about on the planet Koronis.
The screen on his left shows what the Science Droid is up to,
while the (now empty) conveyor belt in front transports systems
to and from the storage area.

Activision/£8.99

John A touch of the ™’s here,
this has to be an American
game. Quote (and in
alphabetical order too!) from
the packaging "Ancients,
Autotronic, Blatarian,
Dromodite, Koronis Rift, New
Federation, Psytek 7500 series
Science Droid System
Analyzer, Repo-Tech Robot,
Scavanger Mk IV Modular
Planetary Surface Rover,
Tseweueme, Xendrons and all
other elements of the Koronis
Rift game fantasy are
trademarks of Lucasfilms Ltd.
All rights reserved”. It leaves
you wondering whether George
Lucas and his pals will go one
further and eventually conquer
space with all these objects,
trailing ™ symbols after them!

Now to the business of looting hulks and making your fortune. A
techno-scavenger’s life is no picnic! Guardian saucers will be out
to destroy you until you knock out their base on level 20, so you
may as well get used to ’em.

Still, on with the review. You
are a techno-scavenger
searching for the valuable
technologies left by the men
that have gone before. (Kirk
out.) Eventually you stumble
across the legendary Koronis
Rift (aaaaahhh ...), which is
the hiding place of
technologies beyond your
wildest dreams — though who
dreams of technologies, that’s
what I'd like to know. The rift,
however, is guarded by
‘guardian saucers’, which have
a nasty tendency to blow you
away a bit if you’re caught
looting the other spaceships.

This is a pretty mega game.
After loading side one of the
tape you’re shown the interior
of your spaceship. And quite
comfy it is too! Suddenly a

rolling test card appears in
each of the five monitors in
turn, and gradually the
horizontal hold is adjusted so
that the displays are still. A
nice touch — I wonder how
much programming went into
that! Then it’s time to load side
two.

One of the monitors now
displays the location of the
nearest spaceship, so you can
use the ship’s motors to move
towards it. As soon as you’re in
range you can send out your
RT robot to do your dirty work
for you. Once it returns you can
add the module it brings back
to your ship’s own circuits, then
return to your scout ship to
analyse your finds. The circuits
are analysed by a robot,
though you have to unload
them from your scoutship and
put them on a conveyer belt.

The robot does the rest, acting
on instructions from you.

Now two things can be done
with the gathered circuits. The
first is to scrap them, ’cos if you
do this you get a score. The
second is to add them into one
of the six circuit locations of
your ship and thereby improve
the abilities of your weapons
and scanning equipment. By
the way, avoid doing what I did
in a rush to escape from a
guardian saucer, which was to
quickly fit a new heavy duty
battery circuit into the slot that
held the weapons and
shielding circuit, thus leaving
me without guns and
protection. A sitting duck.
(Quack!)

From the scout ship you can
return to the current rift level,
load the next rift or even skip a
rift and start loading the next
but one. So you should be able
to make it up to rift 20 to
destroy the source of the
guardian saucers pretty
quickly. (Me, I didn’t get past rift
three, but that’s my problem!)
Once destroyed, you can raid
the entire rift without
disturbances.

This is an excellent game.
Obviously a huge amount of
work has gone into the plot and
graphics. The rifts are made
with fractals and are fast and
detailed, giving the game a fair
sized shot of realism. The
documentation isn’t too
complex, but there’s a lot you
have to plough through to get
enough information to play the
game. It is joystick compatible,
but the joystick only controls
the shoot ’em up part of the
game, the rest being controlled
from the keyboard.

So, only one thing remains to
say — you’d better buy this
game or else Lucasfilms may
well trademark the Earth™ and
its Entire Contents™ including
you™!

| Graphics ■■■■■■■■■□

Playability ■■■■■■■■■□

Value (or Money ■■■■■■■■□□
lAddlctiveness ■■■WHIP

They're under
starters' orders...
and they're erf.
Rounding the first
center, it's Tony tee
followed by Tommy
Ntuh, Manus
Berkmann, and
there's John
(yMolloy on the
stand side, with
Sara Biggs bringing
up the rear...

YS Seal Of Approval
All games reviewed in
Screenshots are finished
products.

43

Hyahh! Ka^

Origami! Thud! S
that, just practising my lotus
blossom eats preying mantis
position. That’s the one where
you do a neck chop,
somersault, and pull
gun from behind your
sui

Enough of this, let’s get on
with the game. Big Trouble In
Little China was a film that
appeared recently — it wasn’t
too bad, so Electric Dreams
brought out a game too.

Stands to reason, dunnit. The
plot is this — nasty ’orrible
mandarin Lo Pan is bored of
being spiritual and wants a
proper body to walk about in.
First of all, though, he has to
marry a girl with a fun
personality, who’s good at
parties — oh yes, she’s got to
have green eyes. Then he has
to sacrifice her! Unfi
his dippy henchmen
girlfriends of Wang Chi and
Jack Burton, so these two
brave lads, plus a third cal!

" | Shen, tootle off into the
'ers of San Francisco to fi
hem.

You control all three
haracters, but life is made
r by the fact that you only
need to control the leading
one, as the others follow after.
You start your trail through four
levels to face Lo Pan with no
ns at all, although there
ie scattered about to be
;ed up. Each player has his

own particular favourite — Jack
has a gun, Egg has potent

a sword.

game. One gripe
that the martial ai
easy to

I do have is
arts experts are
gun-toting

Melbourne House/£7.95

Tony At last! After much
speculation, trepidation and even
desperation, Mike Singleton
has finally completed a game!
It’s not the much publicised
Dark Sceptre or Star Trek, but
Throne Of Fire, designed for
Melbourne House. And believe
me, it’s hot stuff!

The storyline is this — you’re

44

one of three princes who all,
naturally enough, want to be
king of the castle. Each
amasses his followers and
races to the throne room to
collect the crown. You’ve got to
get there first without being
killed in the process. Simple,
you may say. Wrong! The other
princes are just as hell-bent on
mangling your chances of

kinglyhood. So you’ve got to
use your forces carefully to
avoid the other players and
protect your prince. One good
idea is to stow your prince
somewhere safe and use a
plain ordinary foot-soldier to do
all the dirty work — which
means if he dies, you don’t —
yet.

The castle itself is circular,
so if you continue in one
direction long enough, you’ll
wind up back at the start.

There are also several levels
and towers to negotiate. The
screen’s divided into two
sections a la Top Gun, but as
there are always three princes
this means that until someone
(usually you) dies, one prince
is hanging around unseen, and
it’s usually him who does you
in! You can play against the
computer, which then looks
after the other two princes, or
in two-player mode, with the
computer taking prince number
three.

The gameplay is fast and
furious, with superb animation
(as in all Mike Singleton
games) and little details like the
fireplace and the chandelier
which both flicker realistically.
There are sword fights you
have to survive if you’re to have
any chance of winning, and
these too are well animated —
there’s even an effective clunk
when you engage in hand to

hand combat with your foe.

You start with ten followers per
prince, but as you fight the
other players or the King’s
Guard, who are an
independent (are you?) force
protecting the throne room,
your numbers go down. In the
two top corners of the screen
your heart, and that of your
opponent, pumps away,
indicating how much energy
you have left. The weaker you
get, the faster your heart will
pump, and if you’re caught in a
fight and lose, your heart splits
in two and a curtain of blood
dribbles gorily down your half
of the screen. Bleeuugh!

The only drawback is that if
you’re playing in one player
mode, and you die, the other
two computer-controlled princes
carry on with the game until
one of them wins. This gets a
bit boring, especially if you’re
foolish and get mashed early
on in the game. I completed it
my first time in two player
mode, but I haven’t been so
successful in one player.
Almost, but not quite! It’s great
fun though, and very good to
play — I really enjoyed it. As
games go, Mike, it was worth
the wait!

I Graphic* ■■■■■■■■□□

■ Playability ■■■■■■■□□□

Value for Money ■■■■■■■■□□
I Addictiveness ■■■■■■■□□□

8

SINCLAIR TITLES ▼

£1.95 EACH

SPACE RAIDER (CART.), SPELLBOUND,
JASPER, CODENAME MATT, MUGSY,
HELLFIRE, KOMPLEX, CHIMERA,
THUNDERBIRDS, VALHALLA, CHICKEN
CHASE, PSYTRAX, STARBIKE, TEACH
BASIC ON ZX, TWISTER, TALOS,
PSYTRAXX

£2.95 EACH

THE COVENANT, WHO DARES WINS II,
JET SET WILLY, BC'S QUEST FOR
TYRES, BEACHEAD, MANIC MINER,
MATCH FISHING, HACKER, SIR
LANCELOT, POTTY PIDGEON,
GHOSTBUSTERS, POLE POSITION,
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BIZZARE, ALIEN 8, KONG STRIKES
BACK, SHOW JUMPING, BOUNTY BOB
STRIKES BACK, EDDIE KIDDS, THE
TRAIN GAME, ZORRO, BIZZICOM,

SMALL TRADE PACKAGE,
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CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS AND MATHS,
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GEOFF CAPES, STRONGMAN, PROJECT
FUTURE, STARSTRIKE II, THINK, PITFALL
II, ENDURO, ROBIN OF SHERLOCK,
REALM OF IMPOSSIBILITY, NOMAD,
WESTBANK, SAM-STAOT
SAFEBREAKER, WILLIAM WOBBLER,
WINTER SPORTS, REVOLUTION,
FROSTBYTE, SURF CHAMP, HURG,

SCHOOL DAYS, CONTACT SAM CRUISE,
ADRIAN MOLE (BOOK + TAPE), MERLOCK
THE MEAD

£3.95 EACH

RIVER RAID, ADVENTURELAND/SECRET
MISSION, CYBERUN, ZOIDS,
SUPERSLEUTH, WHAMS MUSIC BOX,
BOUNDER, SUPER CHESS, MOON
CRESTA, RESCUE ON FRACTALUS,
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STAR INT., GUNFRIGHT, SKYFOX,

FRANK BRUNOS BOXING, I OF THE
MASK, MINDSHADOW, ROCCO,
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(COMPILATION), RED ARROWS, HOT
SHOTS (COMPILATION), THE PLANETS,
EQUINOX, STAINLESS STEEL, COP OUT,
BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, CHUCKIE
EGG II, ARCADE HALL OF FAME, COSTA
CAPERS, GERRY THE GERM,
RUNESTONE, RASTPUTIN, FAT WORM,
THANATOS, DEEP STRIKE

£4.95 EACH

COLLOSAL ADVENTURE, ADVENTURE
QUEST, ABERSOFT FORTH, VECTRON

3D, AMAZON WOMEN, OFF THE HOOK,
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TAU CETI, MINI OFFICE, YOUNG ONES,
WOW GAMES (14 TITLES), EVIL
CROWN, MEGAHITS COMPILATION (10
GAMES), PACMAN (ATARISOFT), THE
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MILLION, TRAIL BLAZER, FUTURE
KNIGHT, LORD OF THE RINGS, CRASH
SMASH II (COMPILATION)

GAMES PACKS

HILL MACGIBBON EDUCATIONAL PACK
INCLUDES:

BALLOONING, SPECIAL AGENT, CAR
JOURNEY, PUNCTUATION PETE £7.95
SPORTS PACK INCLUDES:

SNOOKER, OLYMPICS, GOLF, DARTS,
WORLD UP, DERBY DAY 5.95

C/NAME MATT II, VIEW TO KILL: FRIDAY
13th, TEST MATCH, BEAKY & EGG
SNATCHERS, THE PYRAMID £5.95

SPINNAKER EDUCATIONAL S/W
The following titles are all £1.95

ALPHABET ZOO, RANCH, MAKE A FACE,
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AND ADDEM, AEGEAN VOYAGE,
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LEVELS, DANCE FANTASY

UTILITIES & PERIPHERALS

QUICKSHOT II WITH M/S £10.95

CURRAH MICRO SLOTS £2.95

COMPUTER TO T.V. LEADS £1.50

MICRODRIVE CARTRIDGES £1.99

SPECDRUM ADDITIONAL
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LATIN £3.99

AFRO £4.99

ELECTRO £4.99

SPECTRUM 48K& 128
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p&p 1-3 titles 75p
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E & J Software offer 3 CLASSIC Football Manage¬
ment Strategy Games for all soccer enthusiasts.
Each of these QUALITY GAMES uses the full
available memory of your computer and is
PACKED with GENUINE FEATURES to make
each game the most REALISTIC of its kind!

PREMIER II : A COMPREHENSIVE AND EXCITING LEAGUE GAME - Can you handle
all of this? - Play All Teams Home & Away, Full Squad Details All Teams, Transfer Market
that allows you to buy any player in league/sell your players to any other team, Pre-Match
Report, Full Team and Substitute Selection, Choose Your Own Team Style, All Other Teams
have their own Style, Match Injuries, Match Substitutions, Half Time/Full Time Scores All
Matches, Named & Recorded Goal Scorers, Full League Table, Fixture List, Team Morale (all
teams), Transfer Demands, Opposition Select Their Strongest Team, Injury Time, Financial
Problems, Match Attendances, Bank Loans, 7 Skill Levels, Managers Salary, Change
Player/Team Names, Continuing Seasons, Job Offers or Dismissal based on your perform¬
ance, Printer Option, Save Game and MORE!

EUROPEAN II : A SUPERB EUROPEAN STYLE COMPETITION - Enjoy the atmos¬
phere of European Cup Ties! - Home & Away Legs, Full Squad Listing, Full Penalty Shoot¬
out (with SUDDEN DEATH), 2 Substitutes Allowed, Pre-Match Team News, Full Team And
Substitute Selection, Away Goals Count Double, Extra Time, Half Time & Full Time Scores All
Ties, 7 Skill Levels, Disciplinary Table (showing any MATCH BANS), Full Results List, Full
Random Draw - All Rounds, Printer Option, Change Player/Team Names, Save Game,
EUROPEAN II includes a comprehensive Text Match Simulation with these GREAT FEA¬
TURES - Match Timer, Named & Recorded Goal Scorers, Corners, Free Kicks, Goal Times,
Injuries, Bookings, Disallowed Goals, Injury Time, Penalties, Sending Off and MORE!

★ SPECIAL FEATURE - transfer your PREMIER II winning Side into EUROPEAN II ★
Both these GREAT games can be played separately or as companion games

WORLD CHAMPIONS : A COMPLETE AND EXCITING WORLD CUP SIMULATION
- Takes you from the first warm up friendlies through the qualifying stages and on to THE
FINALS! - Select Team From Squad of 25 Players, Select Friendly Matches, Full Home &
Away Fixtures in Qualifying Round, Pre-Match Team News, 2 Substitutes Allowed, Discipli¬
nary Table, Select Tour Opponents, Full League Table, Players gain experience/caps as
competition progresses, Extra Time, Penalty Shoot-Out, Quarter Final Group, Full Random
Draw, Change Player/Team names, 7 Skill Levels, Printer Option, Save Game, Full Results
List, Post Match Injury Report, WORLD CHAMPIONS Includes a comprehensive text match
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Match Clock, Sending Off, Penalties, Corners, Free Kicks, and MORE!

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COMP HIT VOL 1

B. JACK'S SUPERSTAR
CHUCKIE EGG
JASPER

PROJECT FUTURE
OVERLORDS
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ZOIOS
EQUINOX
3 WEEKS IN PARADISE
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PING PONG
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CLASSIC COLLECTION

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TRIVIAL PURSUIT

BABY

Domark/£14.95 (complete)/£7.95
(questions only)

Marcus Hey, babe, it’s the
sixties. Groovy. Fab. Let’s hang
out down the discotheque, man.
S.I.G., Captain Scarlet. All you
need is love, plus a Porsche and
about £60,000 a year.

Yes, it’s the latest collection
of Trivial Pursuit questions from
Domark, the Baby Boomer
edition. This one’s designed to
appeal to people born in the
post-war baby boom, those
years of gloom in the fifties
when there was nothing to do
except have babies. Baby
boomers know all about the
sixties, mainly because they
were alive and out of short
trousers at the time. (But were
you? We’ll come to that later.)

So this third set offers 3,000
teasers, posers and puzzlers to
add to the 6,000 in the original
Genus and Young Players
editions. Gasp! What a
mountain of trivia! You can buy
it in two versions — the deluxe
pack, with the original game

BOOMER EDITION

included (£14.95), and the
basic question set (£7.95).
There are new categories:
Broadcasting, Stage and
Screen, Nightly News,
Publishing, Life and Times, and
RPM (pop music, in other
words). Typical questions are
Which two Rolling Stones sang
backing vocals on ‘ All You Need
Is Lovd ? In which Hitchcock film
did Grace Kelly stab her
assailant with a pair of
scissors? Which county did
Mike Brearley captain when he
was captaining England?
(Answers: Mick and Keef; Dial
M For Murder, Middlesex.)

All good clean fun. My only
query is, do we really neecfthis
third set? Six thousand q’s
should be enough to keep you
going, and then there’s the
question of expense. So far,
you’ll have spent £30.85 to
acquire a complete set of TP
questions: is that really worth it?

And of course there’s the
most pertinent question of all.
How many Speccy

gamesplayers are baby
boomers, born between 1945
and 1958? Not an awful lot, I
would wager. Still, if you’re a
sixties freak, you’ll love this.
Even if you aren’t, there are still
some questions here you may
be able to answer. But if you’ve
already exhausted the 6,000

quezzies already available, and
you’re looking for a more
general set, this ain’t it. Wait for
Genus II, which I’m told will be
out in the autumn.

I Graphics

Playability ■■■■■■□□□□
Valus for Monty ■■■■■□□ □□□ I
I Addlctlvtnttt

Code Masters/£1.99

Tommy Who ya gonna call?
Ghost Huntersl Doesn’t have
quite the same ring, does it?
Never mind, ’cos this rather
weird game from Code Masters
doesn’t resemble that
celebrated original at all. What
seems at first sight to be a dull
platform game turns out to be
an unusual and tricky test of
skill best played by two — and
that’s a shock in itself.

You’re Hunk Studbuckle,
which sounds more like a
medical condition than a
name, but so it goes. Your
brother is trapped in Nightmare
Mansion, in a maze of
passages and rooms,

surrounded by hordes of
undead ghouls and zombies.
Unless you save him, he won’t
have a ghost of a chance.
Serves him right, if you ask me,
but you’re a hero, so off you go
to do your stuff and almost
certainly get killed yourself.
What a mollusc.

As you walk around the 21
screens, you aim to pick up
various flashing goodies which
activate lifts in other parts of
the maze. As the undead rise
from the ground, your
Terrometer goes haywire, and
this depletes your Macho
Energy (don’t push me!) until
you pop your clogs. This is
where the two-player option

comes in useful. Playing by
yourself, you control Hunk with
your joystick as normal.
Keeping fire pressed down
activates your gun sights and
you can then zap all the
ghouls, vampires and what not
with your thermonuclear
phantom blaster. It’s all a bit of
a rush, though, as you can’t
move Hunk and fire your
blaster at the same time. But
with two players you can! It’s
not often that you get a Speccy
game for two with both people
on the same side, so it makes a
change.

Even with two of you blasting
the ghosts in the ghoulies,
you’ll need the beakers of
energy that lie about here and
there. And watch out for those
spidery lifts that often seem like
the only way to get up to a

particularly inaccessible ledge
— Hunk (being a bit wet) is
awesomely afraid of 'em! EEK!

Graphics are only single¬
coloured (though you can
change the colour from red to
blue — gasp), but quite
effective in a fussy sort of way.
My fave nasties are definitely
the skulls, which look
remarkably like Neil Kinnock,
even down to the way they
never stop talking. There’s
even digitised speech to keep
you occupied. Ghost Hunters is
hardly a huge step forward in
Speccy programming, but it’s a
reasonable cheapie and worth
its modest price.

Graphics ■■■■■■■□□□[“ ' I

Playability

t/alue tor Money ■ ■ ■ ■ ■11 | □ Q [
Addictiveness ■■■■■■■□□□ I

47

RASTERSCAN

Mastertronic/n.99

Marcus “’Elio, ’ello, ’ello,
wossall this then? The first
reggae computer game? Come
on, son, that’s got bells on.
Would you mind accompanyin’
me to the station...?

No, sadly this isn’t an amble
through the mean streets of
Brixton but it’s an unusual
game nonetheless. Very rum.
Mastertronic describes
Rasterscan as “an animated
adventure game without any
text”, requiring “no arcade
skills whatsoever”, but that’s
not entirely accurate. Judge for
yourself. You play MSB, a
small spherical robot that flies
around the innards of the ship
Rasterscan trying to put it back
together after an unfortunate
military encounter. Quite how
you’re supposed to do this, you
must find out as you go along
— the game info is intentionally
vague.

So for half an hour you’ll fly
about the ship, or at least the
parts that aren’t closed off,
wondering how to get going.
Loads of massive spanners lie
around, inviting you to sit in
them. Do so, and press fire,
and more often than not you’ll
die. There’s one nearby,
though, that will teleport you to
another part of the ship, from
which you need to find the
stock room, where you need to
get a pipe... and so on.

Now you’ve got to move
quickly before your battery runs
out. The gameplay notes are
wrong, by the way, about one
important detail — the game
does require arcade skill, even
if there’s nothing to shoot. MSB
isn’t very easy to manipulate,
and you have very little time to
complete the first stage of your
task at least. Let MSB get out
of control and you’ve effectively
ruined your chances of getting
anywhere in the game.

Some of the giant spanners
turn out to be locks, keeping
you out of other (usually
important) bits of the ship. To
get through you have to solve a
logic puzzle, part of which is

Bulldog/£2.99

John I’m not overly stunned
by this game. It’s a sort of
cross between an arcade game
and war game. You’re in control
of various military units as well
as radar and explosive
devices. The object of the
game is to destroy the enemy’s
weather control station and to
escape from the planet. Extra
points can be gained if you
destroy the weather control
station, your own space ship
and escape in the enemy’s —
just to make life a smidgin
more complicated. The

problem seems to be that it’s
too complicated. You give your
units orders, so in one way it is
like a standard wargame,
however you use the joystick to
control the units in an arcade
fashion.

The screen consists of an
aerial view of the battle ground
where your units are deployed,
awaiting orders. A square
cursor appears and it’s with
this that you issue the
appropriate orders to them.
There’s an element of
automation in this game — if
one of your ships is attacked

INVASION

working out what it’s all about
in the first place. I won’t spoil it
for you any further (ha ha!)

Okay, so this sounds a bit
too clever for its own sake, but
once you’ve sussed out what’s
going on (and with this review
to guide you, you’ll have
something of an advantage
over me!), Rasterscan is
surprisingly engrossing. The
graphics are fab, the ideas
bizarre, and the whole is often
very confusing, but I predict
that you’ll be gripped (oo-er!)
And not a woolly hat in sight...

I Graphics

Playability _

Value for Money ■■■■■■■■■ □ 1
I Addictiveness ■■■■■■■■□□.

when you’re not looking, it’ll
defend itself, presumably by
firing back. You’re informed of
all the action by a teleprinter
which prints reports of the
battle while you sit back and
relax. Sorry, I mean carefully
work out which of your units to
deploy next (ahem).

To win the game you need to
explode two of your three
explosive units in squares
adjacent to the weather control
station. So if you lose your
explosive units you might as
well use that well known
Speccy reset button and pull
the power supply out of the
wall. You have about as much
chance of winning as Phil does
of losing that spare tyre. (0/7
Phil). But if you do succeed in
blowing up the weather control
station, you’ve got to get back
to the enemy spacecraft and
press T. The ship takes off and
your scoring shoots up.

If you’re into wargaming and
think you might want to try a
sort of arcade version then this
game is for you. If you don’t like
that sort of thing then it’s
probably best to check it out in
your computer shop before
buying it. I wasn’t wild, I have to
admit.

Melbourne House/£8.95

Tony Twenty-two, forty-one,
hut, hut! Ah yes, I love a good
American football game — all
the blood, all the gore.
Whaddya mean it’s not a
football game? Why’s he
wearing that helmet then?

Knucklebusters is a strange
game. You are Deke, a wanted
man who’s escaping from the
lobotomy labs, where people
with criminal minds are
reformed by specialist doctors.
You have absolutely no desire
to be reformed, so you’ve
made a break, disabling the
security system in the process.
Unfortunately for you this
has turned the entire complex
into a time bomb. Unless you
get out fast, you’re going to
turn into a Kentucky Fried
Criminal!

l

■ Graphics ■■■■□□□□□□[ I

"Playability ■■■■□□□□□□ A

_ Value for Monty *+

| Addlctlvanaaa

Electric Dreams/£9.99

Tony As Dirk Diehard edged
into the seat of his souped-up
Morris Minor with the dayglo
go-faster stripes, he thought
back to the meeting he’d just
left. He’d been given custody of
the Liberty Star, a hi-tech
spacecraft that had pulse
lasers, an ion cannon, and air
(or space) to ground missiles,
and it all came complete with a
four-year guarantee! It
sounded good. Too good. He
couldn’t understand why they’d
kept smiling at him, and why
they’d chortled merrily when he
left. Then he opened his
instructions and read what he
had to do...’

Yes, folks, it’s shoot the bad
guys time, and what a doozy!
All you have to do is single-
handedly save four planets,
three space stations, defeat
hundreds of space ships and
destroy an entire enemy solar
system! There’s only one snag
— you’ve only got one ship to
do it in.

But all is not lost. In fact, far
from it. You see, I reckoned
after a while that it was slightly
harder to die than to stay alive.
Wot? Well, the only way to lose
i game is to run out of energy,

48

1r~

fg;,

You control Deke as he tries
to escape, a task made hard
on this three-level extra¬
vaganza by the presence of
androids, which come in a
delightful range of colours,
white being the easiest to kill.
You have no weapons to dole
out the death, though, only
your fists and your feet. Mind
you, it isn’t exactly martial arts,
so you don’t need to run.

There are doors to go
through that lead to other
levels. Some are locked, and
you need keys to get into them.
Here’s where the serious
gaming comes in. Under
various objects are small ones
such as keys, food, extra lives
and bonus points. However, if
you’re not careful, you’ll
stumble across poisonous
things that sap nearly all your

strength and leave you easy to
pick off. When you do fight or
kick an object, a third of the
screen displays your energy,
what you’re carrying, your
score and the amount of time
you have left. You have six
zones to get through and
there’s only one way out —
assuming you haven’t been
mutilated on the way.

The screen scrolls smoothly
and the graphics are large and
well-animated. The only big
gripe I have is that if you fight
in front of a door, the attribute
clash means you lose ol’ Deke,
so you can’t see what you’re
doing. It’s a playable game,
though — pity about the helmet!

I Graphics ■■BHHDDD

"Playability ■■■■■■■□□□

Value for Money ■■■■■■■■□□
I Addictiveness ■■■■■■■□□□

KNUCKLEBUSTERS

and it’s not easy to do that —
whenever you’re getting low
you just warp to a space
station and fill up the tank.

The ships are a doddle to
destroy, and you amass huge
scores by attacking the
baddies (Zylons to you, guv)
and warping off before you’re
dog meat. The ships are well
animated, though the fighters
themselves are pretty basic,
and the motherships bear a
strong resemblance to the
saucers in V. There are
also big tankers which, if you
don’t blow them up in time,
emit strange rays that sap your
energy. Stay there too long and
the game is over.

If you press Space, up pops
a map of the local star system,
and if you move a line to the
indicated area you’re told how
many ships are there, what
type of planet it is, how many
cities it has and so on. The
map also shows the state of
the battle, indicating Zylon
squadrons and their positions.
It’s randomly generated each
game, so you’re never too sure
what you’ll be facing the next
time round. The planets are
shown too — they turn white if

they’re devoid of life. When you
arrive on them, they scroll
realistically at the bottom of the
screen. By pushing the joystick
forward, you can speed up
your travel across them, while
pulling back slows you down.
Your actual manoeuvres are
limited to left and right, so the
fighters, which have an
annoying habit of hovering
above your gunsights and firing
at you, can prove hard to hit.

It’s a good game, all in all,
but limited — there’s not a lot of
variety, so anyone other than
shoot ’em up freaks may get
bored. The graphics aren’t all
they could be, but the strategy
element certainly adds
something. The only niggle I
have is in the choice of keys —
when you’re trying to hit Space
to get out of the way of three
fighters, it’s all too easy to
nudge Caps Shift and find the
game aborting in front of your
eyes. But that’s just a small
complaint. If you’ll excuse me,
I’m off to save a couple of
planets before tea!

I Graphics
" Playability

Value for Money |
I Addictiveness I

8

■□□□rnl

■ p- 1

Gremlin/£7.99

Marcus Hmm. Haven’t I seen
something like this before?

What we have here is what
might be politely termed an
alternative reading of Arkanoid,
the updated Breakout game
that Ocean brought to your
Speccy a couple of months
back. And why not, you may
ask? It’s a good idea, so why
not let everyone have a go at
it? It worked well with Gauntlet
— look how many excellent
games that little number
spawned.

In reworking Arkanoid, the
Gremlin team have obviously
tried hard not to duplicate it
completely. The game is
played, for instance, from left to
right (or vice versa), not up and
down. You have a choice of bat
types and speeds and, best of
all, ball speeds, which makes it
much easier to get going.

There are more capsule
bonuses, including a shield
that protects your rear, and you
have to hit them twice to pick
them up, rather than catching
them as they fall down the
screen. The aliens are nastier
and can do all sorts of
unpleasant things, like freezing

your bat and eating your ball
(oo-er!) There are more
screens too — 100, compared
to Arkanoicfs 31. But the basic
game’s the same.

And, more importantly, it’s
not as good. Arkanoicfs key is
its simplicity — the format’s so
clever it doesn’t need messing
about with. Krakout , on the
other hand, is horribly fiddly,
what with all its thousands of
options and everything else
cluttering up the screen. And
the block layouts just aren’t as
fiendishly addictive. My main
criticism, though, must be
reserved for the side-to-side
gameplay, which alters the
game’s balance and seems to
have overstrained Gremlin’s
graphical capabilities. If
Krakout were the only game of
this type on the market, I’m
sure the flags and bunting
would now be out. But it’s
second and very much second
best, and if you’re going to beg,
borrow or blag one of the
Breakout lookalikes, you’d be
wiser to go for Arkanoid.

I Graphics
Playability
Value for Money
I Addictiveness

!■■□□□

!■■□□□

■■□□□□

■□□□□□

49

HACKTNg

Hacking For Beginners
Dragon’s Lair II, Sigma 7, Dandy,
Bomb Jack II, Into the Eagle’s Nest
and Arkanoid Hacked To Bits!

Hacking On The Cheap
— Save £1.45 on HiSoft’s DevPac!

51

HACKING

re you a crack
hack? Or are
you hacked off
’cos you’ve
always wanted
to use the YS hacking
programs but don’t know
how? Well, sit back and
relax ’cos in this month’s
YS Hacking Away Special
ZZKJ brings you a step-
by-step guide to hacking
for beginners plus up-to-
the-minute hacks on all
the latest games for
hackneyed experts. So
grab your hacking
jackets and raise those
hackles ’cos we’re off...

ABSOLUTE

BEGINNERS

So you want to learn how to
hack? Well, you’ve come to
the right place. But for all you
complete novices a hacker
isn’t someone who chops
violently through the
undergrowth, a flogger of
overworked horses or
someone with a dry,
spasmodic cough. It is in fact
someone who spends his or
her time hacking into
computer programs for fun.

But what is hacking?

Hacking means altering a
game so that it works
differently to the way the
programmers first intended it
to. For instance, you can alter
a game so that your lives
counter doesn’t decrease
when you die — leaving you
with infinite lives to play with.
Most games these days also
have a protection system to
stop you getting at them and
copying them, so this has to
be hacked through before
you can start altering the
program. However, this
doesn’t mean that hacking is
for piracy. In fact, if you think
about it, you’ll realise that
hacking is the hardest, most
time-consuming and least
effective way to copy a game.
Hacking simply enables you
to get more fun out of a game
when you’ve reached that
stage where you just can’t get
any further.

What tools do you need
to be a hacker?

It’s essential to have a
disassembler/monitor. I use
HiSoft’s DevPac which also
includes an excellent
assembler. Many people,

though, find that the Multiface
One, by Romantic Robot, is
just as good.

What do you need to
know before you start?

Just one thing really — Z80
machine code. Wait! Before
you turn the page, muttering
that you’ll never manage
machine code, let me tell you
something — it ain’t that
difficult. There are loads of
good books on the subject
that’ll teach a complete
beginner how to use machine
code in only a few hours. I
started off with Spectrum
Machine Language For The
Absolute Beginner by
Melbourne House, and once
you’ve read this, or any other
book, a couple of times, you’ll
then feel confident enough to
have a go. The other thing
you’ll need is a reference
book so that you can work
out what each instruction
does. A pretty good one is
the Z80 Reference Guide
also by Melbourne House.

Right, I’m kitted up.

Now what?

First you’ll need to find a
game that’s difficult to play —
otherwise, what’s the point of
hacking it to make it easier?
Then you’ve got to get through
its protection system — often
not an easy task. Once
you’ve done that you must
work out how to make the
game easier, and produce a
program that’ll do this.

The easiest way to start is
to find a game which isn’t
protected, so that you can
get used to the process of
hacking without having to
worry about how to break
through the game’s protection.
You can tell if a game is
protected or not by looking at
how it loads. If the normal
blue and yellow lines are
there and if the pitch of the
loading noise stays more or
less the same all the time it’s
loading, then the chances are
that it isn’t protected. A great
game to start with is good ol’
Jet Set Willy.

I’ve got my game,
what’s next?

First of all you have to load
your monitor program into the
Speccy. The position of this
has to be carefully chosen —
it must go in what’s called
high memory — usually above
the 55000 address. This
means that it’s out of the way,
and won’t interfere with the
actual game code. When you

get more experienced in
hacking, you can use header
readers to find out where the
game code is, and load your
monitor program after it.

Next, you put in the first bit
of your chosen game. Instead
of typing LOAD“” as you
normally do, type in MERGE"”
and press play. When the OK
message appears you can
then press LIST. A bit of Basic
code will appear on the
screen, usually about half a
screen long. This’ll be made
up of all sorts of Basic
statements, such as PRINT,
INK, PAPER. Also there’ll be
an optional CLEAR statement,
an optional LOAD‘‘”SCREEN$,
one or more LOAD“”CODE and
a PRINT USR xxx or RAND¬
OMIZE USR xxx (where xxx is
the execution address of the
game.) There may be other
statements in this bit of Basic,
but if it’s an unprotected
game, they won’t do anything
important. The CLEAR
address is important as the
machine code for the game
wll appear above this address.
Failing to CLEAR might cause
your Speccy to crash when
you LOAD the code if the
stack gets overwritten.

The monitor’s loaded,
the game’s loaded and
I’ve RAND USR’d the
monitor. What do I look
for?

Games will differ greatly in the
things to keep an eye out for,
but some things are fairly
standard, and are easy to
alter. The obvious one to go
for is the number of lives you
have in the game. Look for
two instructions that’ll appear
something like LD A,x : LD
(nn),A, where x is the number
of lives you start with (though
it may appear as the number
of lives 4- 1, so if you started
with three, x will actually
appear as 4) and nn is the
address where the lives are
stored. Then you have to look
for some code which does LD
A, (nn): DEC A or LD HL,nn :
DEC (HL) where nn is the
address you’ve just worked
out. You may find that there
are a few addresses that have
the same number put into
them as the one you’re looking
for and will decrease at a later
stage, so you may have to try
more than one address.

Make a note of these
addresses, ’cos you then have
to go back into the Basic
program and change them.
This you do by replacing the
DEC instruction with a NOP
by POKEing the address of

the DEC with a zero. Make
sure you add this before the
RAND USR command and
then, when you’ve done them
all, RUN it so that it loads in
the game, including the
POKES you’ve added. Infinite
time (for games with a time
limit) can appear in the same
way. Though this time you
should look for instructions
such as LD HL,xx : LD (nn),HL
and then LD HL,(nn): DEC HL
’cos most time counters are
larger than 255.

If you can’t find infinite lives
in this way, then look for the
‘game over’ message, find out
the address it refers to (by
looking for LD HL,nn or LD
DE,nn where nn is the
address of the message), find
out what makes it go to the
code that does this, and
somewhere round there will
be the message to decrease
your lives or the time counter.

I call this back-tracking, ’cos
that’s really what you’re doing
— starting at the end and
working backwards!

What about the
protection system?

This is the one major problem
you may come across when
you get into hacking protected
games. After all, they’re put
there to stop the hackers!

Most of them incorporate
some machine code into the
Basic loader so that it can’t be
MERGEd. This machine code
contains another loader that
loads up the game and then
executes it, so that the game
actually auto-loads — you
can’t stop it in the middle. You
can LOAD up a MERGE-proof
program so that it doesn’t
auto-run by creating a false
header for it. However, you’ll
need to do some more book
reading on this, ’cos now you
are talking complications. For
some in-depth information
read The Complete Spectrum
Rom Disassembly by, yep,
you guessed it, Melbourne
House. You’ll also need to
know something about system
variables ’cos some protection
systems check these to see if
you’re hacking, so have a look
in the Spectrum manual and
the new 4-2 manual to get
details of these.

Okay, that’s how you hack.
It’s really fun to do once
you’ve started — have a look
at this month’s hacks and see
if you can work out what’s
going on. The best way to do
that, of course, is to have a go
yourself — go on, you might
even get into Hacking Away
and win yourself a badge!

52

USE THOSE HACKS

Once you fathom out the basics behind hacking you’ll
need to work out how to use the hacks supplied in VS.
It’s really dead easy — honest. This is how you do it...

W hether you’re a
complete
beginner or a
hackneyed old
hacker here are
some hacks for the latest
and greatest games and you
won’t be needing a
hacksaw!

RASPUTIN 128K

Richard Porter from Hull
has sent in no less than two
cheats for Firebird’s 128K
version of Rasputin. The first
one will top up your life force
— here’s what you do:

1) Freeze the game by
pressing space
2) Press CAPS SHIFT and L
together

3) Type in VODKA and your
life force will top up
4) Restart the game.

The second one activates the
teleporter — Penelope
D’gaulle Bennet came up
with this for the 48K Rasputin
in the July issue.

1) Freeze the game by
pressing space

2) Press CAPS SHIFT and R
together

3) Type in TED (the game will
beep)

4) Type in a two digit room
number (f’rinstance 00 or 08)
— the highest room is 40

5) Restart the game.

On the 48K version of
Rasputin the password is
STALIN, not TED.

CYROX

A nice short hack for The
Power House’s Cyrox next,
from a regular to this column
— good ol’ Jon North of
Sutton. This’ll give you infinite
lives and you put it in as I’ve
described above (well, saves
me telling you every time,
doesn’t it?)

10 REM CYROX HACK © JON
NORTH

20 CLEAR 30000: LOAD ""
SCREEN* * LOAD "“CODE

30 POKE 50198,0! RANDOM
IZE USR 33001

HACKING

BOMB JACK II

The protection system used
on Elite’s Bomb Jack II is a
good example of a very
simple one. The Basic can
be MERGEd and it can also
be listed without the Speccy
crashing or something else
appearing on the screen.
The machine code for the
protection system is loaded
up separately and is
executed with a
RANDOMIZE USR z
statement so you can see
exactly where it starts.
There’s no encryption in the
machine code which means
that you can see it
completely without having

to execute part of it first.

The game’s fairly simple to
hack too, so here’s a short
listing for infinite lives. I’ve
also thrown in a hack for
Bomb Jack ’cos the game is
supplied on the B side of
the Bomb Jack II tape.

10 REM BOMB JACK 2 HACK
© ZZKJ

20 CLEAR 60000: LOAD ""
CODE : POKE 65226,250

30 FOR n=64000 TO 64006
: READ a: POKE n,a: NEXT
n

40 RANDOMIZE USR 64739

50 DATA 175,50,35,99,19
5,0,91

10 REM BOMB JACK HACK ©
ZZKJ

20 CLEAR 29377: FOR n=2
3371 TO 23377: READ a: PO
KE n,a: NEXT n

30 LOAD ""CODE : POKE 6
5534,91: RANDOMIZE USR 65
465

W DATA 175,50,64,195,1
95,75,193 ’

DANDY

The next hack comes from
David Brankin of

Thornbury in Bristol for
Electric Dreams’ Dandy. It
gives both players infinite
energy, but you can still
bump each other off. Use it in
the usual way and off you go.
You can’t delete lines if you
don’t want them with this
hack, so I’m afraid you’re
stuck with them.

10 REM DANDY HACK © D.
BRANKIN

20 INK 0: PAPER 0: POKE
23624,0: CLEAR 25499: LO
AD ""CODE

30 RANDOMIZE 0*USR 2340
7*USR 23410*USR 50000
40 POKE 23681,49: POKE
27593,33: POKE 27594,232:
POKE 27595,3
50 POKE 27642,33: POKE
27643,232: POKE 27644,3
60 FOR n=27S96 TO 27603

: POKE n,0s POKE n+49,0:
NEXT n

70 RANDOMIZE USR 23404+
USR 25500

TRAP

Another little hack from Jon
North here, this time for
Alligata’s Trap. This’ll give
you infinite lives and access
to every ship without the
need for orbs. Again, it goes
in like all the rest, and on this
one you can delete either of
the POKEs if you don’t want
them.

10 REM TRAP HACK © JON
NORTH

20 CLEAR 65530: LOAD ""
SCREEN* : LOAD ""SCREEN*
30 LOAD ""CODE
40 POKE 27126,0: REM AC
CESS TO EVERY sAlP

50 POKE 39558,0: REM IN
FINITE LIVES

60 RANDOMIZE USR 38700

INTO THE
EAGLE’S NEST

Pandora’s game has a bit
more protection than Bomb
Jack II. Although the Basic
can still be MERGEd, the
programmers have used
some of the Speccy’s colour
control codes in the listing so
you can’t see the important
part of the Basic. However, if
you remove these lines from
the program (or use a special
LIST routine that strips out
the control codes and prints
the real values of any
numbers) all is revealed. It
still LOADS and RAND USRs
the protection, which isn’t
encrypted, but the special
loader (which is just a faster
version of the usual
Spectrum loader) loads over
the entire memory, wiping out
anything you’ve already put

there. You can get round this
by altering the instruction that
stores what’s been loaded so
that it goes to a check routine
that prevents it from
overwriting the hack program.
The game itself is also quite
easy to hack and is used in
the usual way. You can delete
any of the four lines which
contain commented hack
DATA — except the last line,
don’t touch that!

10 REM EAGLES NEST HACK
© ZZKJ

20 LOAD ""CODE : POKE 5
8714,24

30 FOR n=58833 TO 58845
: READ a: POKE n,a: NEXT

40 FOR n=58403 TO le9:
READ a: IF a<256 THEN POK
E n.a: NEXT N

50 RANDOMIZE USR 58368
60 DATA 245,62,228.221.
188,40,3,221,117,0,241,24
, 14 ^

70 DATA 50,31,143: REM
INFINITE AMMO

80 DATA 50,59,158: REM
INFINITE KEYS

90 DATA 50,180,160: REM
INFINITE HITS

100 DATA 50,10,156:
NO EXPLOSIVES DEATH

REM

110 DATA 195,0,128,999:
REM DATA END MARKER V

53

HACKING

r 0i

HACK OF THE

ARKANOID

Although Ocean’s Arkanoid is
a great game, it’s almost
impossible to complete
without hacking it. First I
produced a POKE to remove
the start sequence. I then
found infinite lives as I’ve
described before. Since
there’s a capsule that gives
you an extra life, and I knew
where the lives counter was
stored, I was able to find the
extra life routine. I back¬
tracked from this and found
the start of the capsule
handling routine. By also
finding the keyboard scanning
routine and trapping the call to
it, I was able to implement a
‘capsule on demand’ ability.
That means that if you press a
key from Q to U, you instantly
get the effect of one of the
seven capsules.

Capsule Key to press

S Q

C W

E E

D R

L T

B Y

P U

Don’t press one of the
capsule keys if a capsule’s
falling down the screen or the
game gets confused and
leaves the other capsule
where it is. Remember that if
you select another capsule,
you’ll undo the effect of the
one you had before, and you
should never select
disruption if you have more
than one bolt on the screen at
a time. None of these
features are available on the
final screen — only the
infinite lives works, and this is

essential! You have to hit the
Dimension Charger many
times before you destroy it,
so you’ll need your never-
ending supply of lives.

SIGMA 7

10 REM ARKANOID HACK ©
ZZ 20 CLEAR 65535: LET c=l

S L zl\ir 2 ^ for n=l TO
1 e 9 ; read a: IF a>=0 AND
a<256 THEN POKE d+n,a: LE
T t=t+n*as NEXT n

40 IF a>0 THEN RANDOMIZ
E 1256+USR 23296

50 IF t+a THEN PRINT "D
ATA ERROR IN BLOCK ";c: S
TOP

60 LET c-c+i: LET d=d+n
-is GO TO 30

70 DATA 118,205,162,45,
127,90,90,75,74,72,59.59
U DATA’22£,l},3&.9l,6,
212,26,203,65,40,3,134

DATA ^4,1,174,18,19,
16,243,35,13,242,13,91
1&0 dAtA 195.95,109,72,1
43,202,126,102,169,113,11

5 lll DATA 123,100,175,102
,212,98,44,73,102,170,98,

4 120 DATA 73.111,168,169,
54,36,95.55.82,155.95,168
1^0 f>ATA 70,143,116,85.1
99,127,212,220,199,46,119
,95

140 DATA 207.168,127,248
52^143,207,244,26,211,22

150 DATA 174,244,98,202,

244.98.214.244.98.42.63.1
02

160 DATA 119,130,102,168
,98^22,168,102,207,98,239

* 170 DATA 115,207,244.95,
182,61,146,29,169,95,161,
163

180 DATA 146,28,169,25,9
8,223,169,117,113,169,-13
3^855

190 DATA 95,9.61,143,52,
169,211,69,52,0,127,243:
REM CAPSULE KEYS
200 DATA 52,211,228,124.

243.102.157.189.166.153.1
58,137

210 DATA 140,44.126.52,1
37,92,130,12S,124,154,102
,201

220 DATA 189.166,153,158
,137,140,100,126,42,137,1
23,100

230 DATA 168,23.166,129,
92,56,148,149,102,169,98,
65

240 DATA 244,98,68,244,1
24,135,98,161,16,102,189,
189

250 DATA 166,153,158.137
,148,177,102,119,98,213,1
73,115

260 DATA 100,173,102,138
,98,213,173,117,247,0,-59
9461

270 DATA 102,95,93,181,1

s!age 200: rem no start me

280 DATA 25,98,222,181
1611: REM INFINITE LIVES
290 DATA 117,52,180,999:
REM DATA END MARKER

Hewson’s Sigma 7 has a
more old fashioned method
of protection. The normal
Speccy loader is used to load
over all of the memory. That
means that when the game’s
finished loading, the entire
Basic system has been
overwritten with a completely
new program. By inspecting
this new program and the
new contents of the system
variable CH_ADD, you can
see what Basic command is
going to be executed in this
new program. This means
that you can get the
execution address of the
game. The hack program is
slightly complex in that it
needs to load the game lower
than it’s supposed to, move
itself, move the game, put the
POKEs in and then execute
the game. The screen will
stay black during the load
and the title screen won’t
appear. But the program is
actually used in the usual
way. The 128 version uses no
protection at all but you’ll see
that the POKE addresses are
different to those for the 48K

version. The 128K hack
program is used in the usual
way too.

10 REM SIGMA 7 HACK ©
ZZK J

20 LET t=0s FOR n=65000
TO 65076: READ a: POKE n
,a: LET t=t+a: NEXT n

30 IF t—8772 THEN PRINT
"DATA ERROR”: STOP
40 FOR r.=n TO le9: READ
a: IF a<256 THEN POKE n,

a ’50 E PAPER 0: INK 0: POKE
23624,0: CLEAR 65535
60 RANDOMIZE 1267+USR 6
5000

70 DATA 118,205.162,45,
127,90,90,75,74,72

S& dAtA 59,59,225,17,12
,254,6,59,26,203

90 DATA 65.40,3,134,24,

1 I^SatA 1 2*^35,13,242,2
45,253,195.95,52,100
ll0 DATA 143,52,116,102,
169,113,115.78,123,165
12& DATA 100,164,95,138,
166,143,52,244.127*131
13& DATA 52,211,228,117,
52,244,95,52,164.143
l<k> DATA 52,52,127,52,21
9 , 211,220 _
l50 £>ATA 98,6,251,98,20,
160,98,204,155: REM INF IN
ITE LIVES _ _

160 DATA 98,217,15,98,82
,12ls REM INFINITE TIME
170 DATA 117,193,215,999
: REM DATA END MARKER

10 REM SIGMA 7 123 HACK
tc» ZZKJ

"20 INK 0: PAPER 0: POKE
23624,0: CLEAR 25000
30 LOAD ”"SCREEN* : POK
E 23607,128

40 INK 3: PAPER 8: OVER
is BRIGHT 8: LOAD ""CODE

50 POKE 34162,0: POKE 6
0071,0: POKE 60399,0: REM
INFINITE LIVES
60 POKE 37232,0: POKE 5
3675,0: REM INFINITE TIME
70 RANDOMIZE USR 61385

People And Prices

Melbourne House, 60 High Street, Hampton Wick,
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 4DB

Spectrum Machine Language For The Absolute

Beginner.£8.95

Spectrum +2 Machine Language For The Absolute

Beginner.£8.95

Z80 Reference Guide .£9.95

Complete Spectrum ROM Disassembly .£8.95

HiSoft, The Old School, Greenfield, Beds MK45 5DE

Spectrum DevPac . £15.95

Romantic Robot, 77 Dyne Road, London NW67DR
Multiface One .£39.95

r --

Start Hacking For Only £14.50!

Save £1.45 on HiSoft’s DevPac Mon/Ass/Dis Program (that’s
a Monitor/Assembler/Disassembler Program to those of you
who’ve skipped the Hacking Away Special - how dare you?
We’ll be asking questions later, you know.)

Fancy a go at hacking? Well, just for you John (and Richard
and Kevin and ...) you can get started on the cheap if you
buy a DevPac Mon/Ass/Dis program from HiSoft for only
£14.50. That’s £1.45 off the usual price, which can’t be bad!

All you have to do is fill in your name and address on the
coupon, cut it out and send it to HiSoft, The Old School,
Greenfield, Beds MK45 5DE, enclosing a cheque/postal
order for £14.50, made payable to HiSoft. When your DevPac
comes back you can hack away to your heart’s content!

Please send me.copy/ies of your DevPac at the

dead cheap price of £14.50.1 enclose a cheque/postal order
made payable to HiSoft for this tiny sum. Please send the
program to

Name..

Address.

..Postcode.

5-4

PfVRT~AQMB.

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o8R

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8 B H
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llaj

Phyzo

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...and at the half
way mark, it's still
Beef Sandwich out
in front, from Deaf
Penguin and Filofax

in third eee

US Gold/£7.99

John Now this is different! Go
and deliver the shopping.

Okay, so the place you have to
deliver to is twelve light years
away. So the van driver’s an
android, but what do you
expect? Let’s get going.

The game is divided into two
parts, the first being to choose
your mission and pick your
crew. There are three missions
to choose from, and when
you’ve selected one you’re
shown the distance you have to
travel, the cargo you have to
take and the reward you’ll get if
you get the job done.

Naturally you are the captain
and you must choose your five
crew members. This requires
some thought. You have thirty
people to choose from — five
groups of six people each.

Each group has different skills
- weapons, scanning, naviga¬
tion, engineering or repairs —
and you have to select your
team carefully. You get an on¬
screen display of piccies of the
thirty people and selection is
by the cursor keys. Once
you’ve selected someone
there’s a chance to see their
records so that you can make
your final decision. Who’s the
best? Well, that’s up to you to
decide. Once you’ve made up
you mind, though, it’s time to
load in part two.

The first important thing a
captain must do is tell the
navigator exactly where you’re
going. If you don’t do this, not a
great deal happens. Once I’d
worked this out, and told Nik in
navigation where we were off
to, I settled back and familiarised
myself with the crew. There was
Boris in weapons, Bluton in
scanning, good oP Nik in
navigation, Craven taking care
of the engineering and T3XR9
(crazy guy!) in repairs. Space
drifted past the window, so I
asked Nik to put the welly down
’cos we had to be on time.

The screen graphics are
really quite complicated,
displaying no fewer than
sixteen different things
simultaneously. The screen
itself is divided into three main
areas and the top part is
divided further into two halves.
On the left there’s your view out
of the dashboard window, on
the right there’s the person/

YS Seal Of Approval

All games reviewed in
Screenshots are finished
products.

thing you’re talking to. The
bottom of the screen is where
the communication takes
place. These two main sections
are separated by various
scanners and warning lights so
you can keep your finger on
what’s happenin’ man. How the
programmers have managed to
squeeze so much onto the
Speccy screen is beyond me!

Time went by, and Nik kept
slowing down. I remonstrated
with him, but he only said “I’m
doing my best” as he slowed
down for the space equivalent
of a traffic light. Oaf! All of a
sudden, there we were in the
middle of a battle (I told him we

should’ve jumped the lights)
and all hell broke loose.
Messages arrived from every
part of the ship, and we
dodged around space,
desperately trying to fight or
avoid missiles. Suddenly, it was
all over — Space Captain John
blew it!

Psi-5 Trading Company
needs a bit of brainpower and
a fair amount of playing before
you’ll really get into it, but put
the time aside, ’cos it’s a
cracker!

^Taphics lilllllinn ^

"playability ■■■■■■■■□□ Q
_ Value for Money ■■■■III ID □ ^ f
^kddictiveness - J

.. no Department Candidate?

ursor k<
space '■

Churgttk

First choose your crew. Here are the candidates for the Scanning
Department, and a thoroughly dodgy lot they look too. It’s up to
your Scanning bod to identify and keep track of any other
vehicles in space, in other words tell you when someone’s
shooting (as if you didn’t know!) Choose carefully.

-# S3

Ehy. — , _ _

st atus D : - spt au v F;

ENGINEERING STATUS
ID Devtee Enato

B Port,

F Bb aster
G Cannons
H thermos

Rank Cancel. Ere
S REPORT
to ID Device
: I Enytne i
: n Engi ne £

: k I nl Scant-
: L Efriers* B 1 "

: Batters es

Shteld

: Emergency

r.har'se

50

Once you’ve got going you can call up your various department
heads, who appear on the right hand screen looking cheerful in
all circumstances (except when dead). This is the Engineering
Status Report, and everything is looking particularly rosy. But
just give it a few minutes, until you run into some trigger-happy
little funster from the planet Warg ...

vPsi-5

TRADING COMPANY

56

6

Melbourne House/CT.95

John Melbourne House has
combined a dungeons and
dragons type character (with
strength, endurance, Intelli¬
gence, luck and charisma) with
arcade action and a text
adventure. Not only that, but
the way the game plays
depends on the way you’ve set
up your character, so you’ll
need to play It several times to
develop the best combination.

At the start you have to
choose Doc's attributes (oo-
er!) If you make Doc’s strength
supersonic he’ll fall over at the
first sign of battle ’cos he’ll
have no endurance, so you’ll
need balance and forethought.
Once you’ve done that you’re
off Into the game. At each
location you’re presented with a
set of choices to make. If you

decide a bit of blood and gore
Is needed, go into the arcade
combat section, where you
battle against one of Doc’s
enemjes. If you win, you can
carry on, if you lose, it’s back to
the beginning. The battle
movements are well thought
out, and you need a fair
amount of practice before you
beat the baddies. Once you’ve
bashed the life out of them, the
choices pop up again and this
time you may choose to go into
the text adventure bit.

Here you get descriptions of
the rooms as you wander
through them, and there’s also
a picture of Doc in glorious
cross-eyed technicolour. As the
game progresses Doc’s
expression changes, showing
just how well you’re doing. At
the bottom of the screen is the

games menu window — this
displays the options you have
to choose from to make Doc do
something else. Depending on
what you choose, Doc will
either carry on with his
adventuring or he’ll go back to
the arcade battle sequence, so
you’ve got to choose wisely.

You also have the option to
save your Doc to tape if you’re
successful and want to carry
on at a later date, and this also
means that you can use your

Doc in future games of the Doc
The Destroyer series, since
Melbourne House has
promised us more to come.

Doc The Destroyer’s an
interesting mix of the two types
of gameplay — both the hack-
and-slash and the think-it-
through. All good clean fun, I
reckon

!□□□□

Value for Money ■■■■■■■ □□□
Addictivanass ■■■■■■■■□□

I Graphic*

” Playability

Firebird/£7.95

Tony There have been a lot of
bouncy ball games recently,
and I reckon this ranks with the
best of ’em! You play a
spaceship that’s shaped very
much like a demented ping
pong ball with a window
plonked on it. You’re supposed
to control this by bouncing it
around the scenery, but it
seemed to have a mind of its
own to me.

The object of this weird and
wonderful game is to find three
letters, A, X and P, that have to
be picked up in the right order
to make a Latin word (though I
doubt the word’s AXP). Then
you have to take this to the
Kinemator! (Eek! Scary
muzak!) If the letters aren’t in
the right order the mission, the
game and your life are over.

You have three lives to play
with, and each one consists of
energy bars (kinetic energy,
geddit?) that reduce every time
you hit a nasty. However,
you’re not stuck out there

defenceless. No chance John.
Your help comes in the form of
a powder sprayer that shoots
nasties and walls, a safety
shield that stops you getting
zapped, little gadgetmewotzits
that turn gravity or anything
else to do with physics (such

as friction and bounce) off, and
a teleporter that can send you
to any screen, as long as you
have the right code to get
there. All is not plain sailing
though, ’cos there are loads of
nasties just waiting to get you.
Most, though looking fairly

terrifying, do nothing other than
deflect or bar you from any
object. They also drain your
energy slightly, though you can
always fill up again at the local
lake. Some, however, strip you
of an item when they touch
you, which becomes a bit of a
pain after a while.

The buildings and the
shrubbery are okay to touch,
but if they go red, stay away, or
it’s instant death. Red cave
walls are the exception —
they’re all right. There are also
white circles fixed in the middle
of the screen. Don’t be fooled,
these are really magnetic and
will drag you back towards them.

All in all it’s a great game.

The animation’s smooth and
there’s little or no colour clash.
Firebird is definitely onto a
winner here. I’ve only got one
thing to say to anyone who
disagrees — spherical objects!

I Graphics
Playability
_ Value for Mon*'
I Adciictivanasa

8

ST

score q□ o s 2 eo JC^7 5®** 2
ux oooiaQO \IJfcLLit30/ i oj.

mmmm

Konami/£7.95

Tommy Tarantara! It’s finally
here! Gordon Bennett, it took
long enough. But after
countless reprogrammings it
seems that the mammoth task
of jamming last year’s fabbest
arcade shoot ’em up into 48
cheesy old K has actually been
achieved. Well, nearly.

All the original features are
there, bar the amazing
graphics — much as you’d

expect. As you’re flying along
on your mission to save your
planet from the avenging
Bacterion forces, you have to
pick up enemy capsules
(usually awarded for pranging
a whole group of fighters)
which when collected give you
certain extra powers. Missile,
for example, gives you, yes, a
missile, which drops down to
the bottom of the screen and
wipes out anything down there.

Laser gives you a much
sharper, more powerful
weapon (oo-er) which scythes
through your enemies, but is
often less versatile than your
bog standard shooter. Double
doubles your firepower,
although it’s incompatible with
Laser (’tis one or the other, old
chum). Option deposits an
extra lump on your ship which
also fires at aliens, and so on.
As the game goes on, of
course, it all gets much more
complicated.

Like the arcade version, the
Speccy Nemesis is very fast
and very hard. The ship is
highly manoeuvrable and the
aliens whiffle about like
nobody’s business, knocking
you out before you really
notice. In fact, the collision

detection is the game’s single
major flaw. To avoid the usual
problem, Konami has you
destroyed about half a sprite
before you thought you’d hit
anything — a bit irritating to
start with, but you get used to
it.

Otherwise it’s a faithful, no¬
frills conversion. The graphics
have suffered by necessity, but
if you can accept that you have
a Speccy in your living room,
not a four-ton three megabyte
arcade machine and a lifetime
supply of lOp pieces, Nemesis
is well up to expectations. A
deserved hit for Konami!

I Graphics I

B Playability |

Value for Money |
^Addi

I Addictiveness

■□□□rnl

Q

o

US Gold/£4.99

Sara What a fine game
Gauntlet is — kept me amused
for hours (You mean months!
Ed). And this is a fine addition
to it — another 512 whole levels
to zap your way through. The
blister on my joystick thumb is
getting bigger by the day.

You need the original game
to play it, loading this in first so
that you can choose the
character you want to be, and
selecting between joystick or
keyboard. Then, where the
tape tells you to rewind to the
start of side 2, you just load in
the Deeper Dungeons tape and
orft you jolly well go.

The first thing you notice is
that it’s not vastly different to
the original. Then you start
playing and realise that, while
it’s not that different, it’s lots

harder. There are loads more
nasties to fight—the generators
throw them out at a worrying
rate of knots. Also, the blue
flashing traps appear right from
the very beginning. These are
to be avoided like the plague —
blunder into them and they’ll
remove the walls holding the
baddies back. Then you’ll have
to fight like fury if you’re going
to progress any further. In fact,
the whole game needs furious
weapon wielding, ’cos there’s
more of everything and you
really have to hack away.

The dungeons themselves
have been titivated too. They’re
similar to the original (let’s fact
it, how many dungeon designs
can you have?) but they’re a bit
flashier-looking and a sight
more tortuous. If you’re
anything like me you’ll be

wandering around some of
them for quite a while before
you can get through to an exit.

All the usual bits and pieces
appear, but there’s more of
those too. The invisibility
amulets turn up quite regularly,
and the potions are easy to find
and collect, apart from the
ones at the end of passages
with an exit in front — most
annoying. The treasure now
twinkles attractively in the
chests, though treasure rooms
are still frustrating — why do I
never find the exit before the
counter gets to zero? Food is
available too — both the plates
and the bottles of cider. Mind
you, as with everything else,
there’s also lots more poisoned
cider — just look out for 0X0
before you have a guzzle.

And the meanest trick of all

is that there are more Deaths
dashing around. Everything’s
okay if you’ve been wise and
stocked up on your potions, or
if your joystick waggling is
finely tuned so that you can
out-run them, but if you’re a
ham-fisted fool like me, you’ll
find yourself in a couple of
sticky situations.

If you’re hooked on Gauntlet,
then you’ve probably already
got your fiver put on one side
for this. If you weren’t
convinced by the original, then
you’ll not be very interested,
but I can’t help it if you’re soft in
the head! Rollicking good fun
— I love it!

| Graphics
" Playability I
Value tor Money I
I Addictiveness I

■ -7

■ ■ □ □ # B

■ ■□□i |

fOi * \

mm „ mm _ \

mm Amjsm

SB

■ NOW available - the official Spectrum upgrade!

■Turn your Spectrum into
la Spectrum + for lust £24.95

l/.nCfc \ FT ir..u i I 1 Cfl I ^

Professional full-size keyboard
-includes 17 extra keys.

Responsive typewriter-style action.
Accepts all current Spectrum
software and peripherals.

+ £1.50

True video

Here's some exciting news for spectrum owners...

the official Spectrum Upgrade Kit. The Upgrade has everything you
need to turn your Spectrum into the stylish new Spectrum +. You don’t even
need an understanding of electronics, just the ability to solder a few wires together! The
leaflet in the kit gives clear, step by step instructions. If you're not sure about doing it
yourself, don't worry. Simply return your 48K Spectrum to us and for £31.90 + £150
P + p we'll upgrade it for you.

The bigger, better Spectrum keyboard

The Spectrum + measures 12V 2 " x 6". It has a large typewriter-style keyboard,
with hard, moulded keys. You'll find the new keyboard has a smooth, positive
action - ideal for touch-typing, word processing, simulation programs, and
extended programming sessions. Two retractable legs give a perfect typing position.
There are 58 keys in all, including 17 new keys. Programmers will be pleased
to see dedicated punctuation keys, a space bar, and separate shift keys for graphics
and extended modes. And a reset button allows you to clear a program from your
computer's memory without disconnecting the power supply.

Inverted comma Cursor controls

The official Spectrum Upgrade. Naturally your upgraded
computer will accept all the peripherals in your Sinclair system-1
interface 1, Microdrives and so on - as well as all Spectrum software.
Just as important, new Spectrum software and peripherals will be designed
with the Spectrum + in mind. So the Sinclair upgrade adds stylish looks, new
capabilities ... and new potential for the future. [

HOW TO ORDER BY MAIL

1. If you require us to do the upgrade for you please send £31.90 +£1.50 p + p. Total £33.40.

2. Should you require the do-it-yourself kit just send £24.95+ £1.50 p + p. Total £26.45.

3. If you require your Spectrum to be repaired and upgraded to a Spectrum Plus we have a
special offer price of just £50.00 complete.

Orders can be placed by using your Access Card on the numbers below.

Upgrade Dept. 140 High Street west, Glossop, Derbyshire SK138HJ
Tel: (04574) 66555/67761 & Manchester 061-236 0376
© Copyright Videovault Ltd. No. 682121

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SPY V SPY II

6.99

THEATRE EUROPE

6.99

QUAZATRON

6.50

MARTIANOIDS

6.50

GAUNTLET

6.50

ACE

6.50

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5.50

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ZENO

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ELITE

10.95

FIRELORD

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NEMISIS THE WARLOCK

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RANA - RAMA

6.25

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WORLD GAMES

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FIRESTORM

6.99

THE GREAT ESCAPE

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ROMULUS

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SCALEXTRIC

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BAZOOKA BILL

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FAIRLIGHT II

6.99

T T RACER

6.99

ARKANOID

5.50

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6.99

ACE OF ACES

6.50

HYDROFOOL

5.50

PRESIDENT

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LEGIONS OF DEATH

6.99

ANIMATOR 1

6.99

ENDURO RACER

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UCHI - MATA

6.50

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RAM TURBO

15.00

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PLUS 2 LEAD

4.99

MULTIFACE 128

44.95

EUROMAX PROFESSIONAL

18.00

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13.95

COMP PRO 5000

13.95

CHEETAH 125+

7.95

QUICK SHOT II TURBO

13.95

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45.00

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24.95

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OUR

PRICE

6.50

LIGHTF0RCE

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5.50

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6.99

SHA0 LINS ROAD

5.50

GRANGE HILL

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ZULU WAR

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DOC THE DESTROYER

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LEADER BOARD

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P.A.W.

17.50

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MONOPOLY

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THORN OF FIRE

5.50

GRAPHIC CREATOR

18.95

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STAR RAIDER II

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INDOOR SPORTS

6.50

SOLD A MILLION 3

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HEAD OVER HEELS

5.50

DEEP STRIKE

6.99

STARGLIDER

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10.95

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5.95

MS PACKMAN

2.99

5 STAR GAMES

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MERCENARY

6.99

DESERT RATS

6.99

THRUST II

1.99

SHADOW SKIMMER

5.50

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TERROR OF THE DEEP

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5.50

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7.25

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6.50

LEGIONS OF DEATH

6.99

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4.99

KONAMIS COIN HITS

6.99

ARTIST II

10.95

10th FRAME

6.50

SWORDS OF BAIN

6.50

VULCAN

6.99

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19.95

MASTER OF UNIVERSE

6.50

MARBLE. MAD DELUXE

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BREAKTHRU

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SUPER CYCLE

6.50

PSI 5 TRADING

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F.A. CUP '87

5.50

SILENT SERVICE

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KNIGHT ORC

10.95

TOBRUCK

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GUNRUNNER

6.50

SYDNEY AFFAIR

6.50

GLIDER RIDER

6.50

BOMB JACK II

5.50

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

6.99

SENTINAL

6.99

TAI - PAN

5.90

TOP GUN

5.50

NETHER EARTH

6.99

NOW GAMES 4

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5.50

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Take another byte
at the cherry ’cos
fan Hoare’s back
with lots more
listings.

L oads of goodies
this month, so I’ll
get stuck in
straight away! Do
you remember that
I was talking about Interrupt
Mode 2 and whether eight
bits or only seven can get
pulled in on interrupt? Well,
two people have written in
about this. First off, there’s
Kevin Preece from
Longlevens with a short piece
of code from Art Studio. This
uses IM2 interrupts to detect
a mouse (I use cheese,
myself) and act on it, and the
other’s from Barry Stuart
of Crosby, who sent in a
program that actually tests
what’s going on. I’m only
going to print this one, ’cos
the Art Studio listing must be
copyright! Here goes,
assemblers to the fore.

10

ORG

OFF10H

20

PBUFF

EQU

5B00H

30

VECTR

EQU

OFEOOH

35

BASIC

EQU

1303H

40

LD

HL,PBUFF

50

LD

A, L

60

RESET

LD

<HL ) , A

70

INC

L

80

JR

NZ,RESET

90

LD

B, 13

100

LD

HL,VECTR

110

PUSH

HL

120

LD

A,60H

130

L00P2

PUSH

AF

intake up

140

L00P1

LD

(HL),A

{table

150

INC

HL

*260 as

160

LD

(HL),A

{this is

170

INC

HL

{nearest

180

ADD

10H

;mult-

190

JR

NC,LOOPliiple of

200

POP

AF

{20 to

210

INC

A

{257!

220

DJNZ

, L00P2

230

POP

HL

240

LD

A,L

250

DOVEC

LD

E,(HL)

260

INC

HL

270

LD

D,(HL)

280

PU8H

HL

290

LD

HL.VECTR+3

300

LD

(HL),A

310

DEC

HL

320

DEC

HL

330

DEC

HL

340

LD

C ,7

350

LDIR

360

POP

HL

370

INC

A

380

JR

NZ

390

DOVEC

400

DI

410

LD

A,OFEH

420

LD

I, A

430

IM2

440

El

450

RET

460

TABLE PUSH HL

470

PUSH DE

60

480

LD

HL,PBUFF

490

LD

E, A

500

LD

D, L

510

ADD

HL ,DE

520

INC

(HL)

530

LD

A,OFEH

540

CP

(HL)

550

El

560

JR

NZ, EX IT

570

LD

A,3FH

580

LD

1,A

590

IM1

600

JP

BASIC

610

EXIT

POP

DE

620

POP

HL

630

POP

AF

640

RET

650

VECTR

DI

660

PUSH

AF

670

LD

A,0*

680

JP

TABLE

690

END

* Actual value in A depends on
it’s position in IM2 vector
table, thus it has unique value-

This routine is quite subtle,
so have a good look at how it
works. When you’re
assembling it makes quite
sure you’ve got it right, as
there’ll be the most
horrendous crash if you
haven’t. Save the code as
TEST, say, before going any
further. To Use the code,
you’ll have to plug in your
Kempston joystick, type in
this next short bit of Basic
and RUN it. Wiggle the
joystick about while the
program’s running, and
when the OK message
appears, type GOTO 40 to
see what’s happened. On the
left of the screen you’ll find
the value held on the data
bus, and on the right will be
the number of times that
value was found. Very neat!

10 CLEAR 24575

15 LOAD “TEST" CODE

20 RANDOMISE USR 65296

30 LET I* IN 31s GOTO 30

40 FOR 1=23296 TO 23551: IF PEEK

I THEN PRINT 1-23296,PEEK I

50 NEXT I

Barry also suggests trying it
with other old peripherals
(new ones should be okay)
and seeing what values they
give. He also makes an
interesting suggestion —
why not set up a table
containing E5 throughout? As
E5 is the code for PUSH HL,
it’ll do double duty as part of
a fast CLS instruction as well
as a vector table. Now that’s
really wicked!

Going back to Kevin, he
reckons he can explain
what’s going on, even though
I’m not going to print his
routine! He says that
although the data bus can
hold any values, the
peripheral chips specifically
designed to be used with the
Z80 can be programmed to
supply a byte on the data bus
during an interrupt
acknowledge cycle. He goes
on to explain that when
programming these chips,
you have to supply a word (in
this case byte) that has bit 0
reset, so that it can
distinguish it from an ordinary
control word. As all odd
numbers have bit 0 set, this
also has the effect of
ensuring that such devices

can only provide an even
number on the data bus.

Phew! I think that’s all sorted
out. Thanks very much to
both of you for going to all
that time and trouble.

And now for something...
Ewan Dalton from Irvine in
Scotland wrote in with a neat
little way to save just the
variables from a Basic
program. There are two
different ways to do this,
depending on whether you
have a microdrive or not. The
machine is fooled into
thinking that the Basic
program consists only of the
variables! Remember that the
POKing and SAVING should
always be done on the same
line, or the poor computer
will get really confused!

9000 REM ** Tape Save **

9005 POKE 23636,PEEK 23627: POKE
23637,PEEK 23628:SAVE "filename"

: VERIFY ***** POKE 23636,203*

POKE 23637,92*RETURN

«>010 REM ** Microdrive Save **

9015 LET V1=PEEK 23636* LET V2=
PEEK 23637* LET V3=PEEK 23627*

LET V4=PEEK 23628

9020 POKE 23636,V3* POKE 23637,

V4* SAVE *"M" $ 1; *'f i lename" *

VERIFY *"M"j1 $“filename”* POKE
23636,VI * POKE 23737,V2* RETURN

Just a sec, though! I’m pretty
sure that the microdrive one
won’t work, Ewan! I have a
sneaking feeling that when
you do the PEEKing, all the
channels are closed. The
program appears at its
normal 23813 with the VARS
directly above that. When you
start the save, you’ll find that
the IF1 program has opened
up a channel of nearly 600
bytes to put information into.
The Basic and the VARS
have moved up, so that they
now appear after you’ve
looked at their locations.
Whoops! Wrong way round.
Never mind, the principle’s
okay — there’s a YS badge
for the first person who can
send me a routine that does
work with microdrives, and
Opus drives too.

Ewan also sent in this dead
short bit of code, guaranteed
to drive WH Smith assistants
daft! I’ll give you the
assembler listing first, and
then just this once, and ’cos
you might need it when you
haven’t got an assembler
handy, I’ll give you a Basic
program to POKE it in.

%

10

ORG

65368

20

GO

LD

A,255

30

LOOP

OUT

(254),A

40

DEC

A

50

JR

NZ,LOOP

60

JR

ST

70

END

BASIC LISTING

10

FOR N*1

TO 9

20

READ A:

POKE

65367+N.

30

NEXT N

^ A A*

\s\

v>

<6

vx

'o.

\

40 PAUSE 0 * REM or 255
50 RANDOMISE USR 65368
60.DATA 62,255,211,254,61,32,
251,24,249

If you do pause 0, the
program will wait there until
someone presses a key. Try it
on a 128K Speccy attached

to the
TV with
the sound
turned up!

Quite a

few people have
answered my question
about why that recursive
function for converting
Hex to decimals failed
when presented with numbers
starting with a 9. Put simply, it
has to do with the fact that in
string comparisons, the
whole of the strings are
compared, not as numbers
but as a string. I guess I
should have spotted that,
really. Thanks to Alan
Baker, Kevin Richards,
Barry Stuart and anyone
else who did. The shortest fix
came from Barry who
suggests replacing the
original

(7 AND x$>“9”) by
(7 AND x$> s =“A”

However, Kevin came up with
a crafty way of making the
routine even shorter, ending
up with just 84 bytes.

2 DEF FN h(x*)»VAL "<CODE x*-48-
<7 AND CODE x*>57)>*16**<LEN x*-l
)+VAL •(( ,,H FN h(x*(2 TO >>"" AND
LEN x$>l)+"“+0"")"

In the April issue I
recommended that you put
machine code into the printer
buffer, and I also had some
things to say about using the
48K ROM on a 128K or
Speccy +2. Well, Cliff
Lawson, who works for
Amstrad, points out that the
printer buffer is used by
these machines for more
system variables, so this isn’t
really a good place to store
codes, or to put programs
designed to be portable.

Cliff’s other point was that if
you use the command
RANDOMISE USR, the 48K
ROM is paged in and as it’s
virtually identical to the old
one, any routines such as LD
A, 3 CALL 1601H will still
work fine. Thanks for your
comments, Cliff.

Finally, Frank Wright
from Harrow has written in.
He’s 58 and visually
handicapped and he’d like
some short, simple and
spectacular routines that
make use of colour and
UDGs. He loved Michael
Farrell’s routine in the
February issue and would like
you to send in lots more. If
you do, I’ll pass them onto
him if they’re not published,
so please could you make
them very clear so that Frank
can read them.

Okay, that’s your lot! See
you all next month, and keep
those routines and problems
coming in. What would I do
without you?

O All lot tors w in a V S> badge

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Yeah, right. You know when the
band’s really cooking and the drums are
beating fast, the bass is thumping like a heartbeat and...
yeah! Woooh! Yee har! Phil South’s got this
amazing new Cheetah MK5 MIDI master keyboard and
he’s plinking away. Take it away Phil... Oi! Come back!

H

eyyy! Worra sexy piece
of kit, eh? A master
MIDI keyboard for
under a hundred quid...
what? What’s MIDI? Oh come
on, you must know! No? Okay,
let’s start at the very beginning.
(A very good place to start...)

The Cheetah MK5 is a long
metal box with a piano keyboard
on it, and no actual sound¬
making capability of its own, for
£99. If you’d have tried to
market something like this five

years ago, people would have
stamped on your foot and told
you where you could put it, and
not even supplied the shoe
horn. But in 1987 the self same
box will sell like hot taters in
winter and, at the price, knocks
spots off the competition.

Why? The answer lies in a
simple four-letter word...

Before you start getting
naughty, (tut tut), those letters
that put a silent rattly keyboard
to the top of every musos wish

list are M-l-D-l.

MIDI stands for Musical
Instrument Digital Interface.

This allows any digital synthesiser
(or similar MIDI equipped
device like a drum machine) to
communicate with any other
MIDI device or computer.
Although this may sound
irrelevant to making any kind of
music, in practice it’s extremely
useful. The Cheetah MK5
keyboard is a fully equipped
MIDI device, and with it you

64

can control a number of MIDI
sound producing devices,
known as ‘sound sources’. It’s
called a ‘master’ keyboard,
because you can use it as the
central controller for other
instruments.

THE MIDI’S TOUCH

The Cheetah ‘master’ keyboard
can be linked up to a number
of sound sources, allowing you
to play all of them from the
keyboard itself, simply by
selecting a different MIDI
‘channel’! Alternatively, you can
plug your MK5 into a ‘synth
expander module’. An
expander module is a
synthesiser without a
keyboard, usually added to a
synth to expand its sound
making abilities. If you plug a
master keyboard into a
expander, you can play the
sounds on the expander as if it
was a normal synth! Compare
the probable cost of around
£1400 for a Yamaha DX7IID
synth, the biggest and best one
they do, to the cost of a
Yamaha TX7 expander module
(£600ish) and the Cheetah
MK5 (£99). The two things do
exactly the same jobs but the
TX7/MK5 combo costs 700
quid less!

The beauty of MIDI is that it’s
so adaptable! Using your
Cheetah MK5, you can play not
only the various synth
modules, but any other kind of
MIDI synth. For example, say
you have a Casio CZ-101. It’s a
fantastic little keyboard, with
great sounds that are easy to
edit, but it suffers from one big
drawback. The keyboard is one
of those titchy tiny ones that
you find on home organs,
which makes you play like
you’ve got a bunch of overripe
bananas for fingers. So all you
need do is get a Cheetah MK5,
and you can play a reasonable
sized keyboard, and add
another octave of playable
pitches to boot!

A further use of the MK5
keyboard comes to light in the
form of Cheetah’s MINI interface,
available separately at £29.95.
Connect this between your
MK5 and a 128 Speccy, and
you can play and edit the
sounds from the 128’s sound
chip! Cor! A minisynthesiser for
30 quid! But this is as nothing
to what you can do with it if you
use Cheetah’s new MIDI
interface!

ACE ’FACE

With the MIDI interface, you
can use your computer to send
MIDI information (like sounds
and pitches) to a number of
keyboards at once using
Cheetah’s own sequencing
software. This means that
provided you have enough
MIDI devices (synths and drum
machines) you can compose,
arrange and PLAY a piece of
music on loads of instruments

The biggest surprise when you
first pick up your brand new
MK5 master keyboard is the
sheer flippin’ weight of the
thing. And how strangely cold it
is... then you realise the reason
is that it’s made of metal.

On the back of the machine
are its contacts with the outside
world, the power plug (yes it
needs its own power supply)
and the MIDI OUT socket.
There’s no MIDI THRU or IN, but
these aren’t really necessary
because you aren’t going to
want to pass MIDI information
to it, only from it. On the top
there’s a little notched wheel for
pitch bend, a button marked
‘Program/Play’, and a three-
digit LED. Above the keys on
the top octave of the actual
keyboard are the words
CHANNEL, OCTAVE, PROGRAM
and TRANSMIT.

The button on the top of the
device is the most important
key on it. Pressing it activates
Program Mode, where you can
use the top keys on the
keyboard to change a sound,
select a new synth to play, shift
the octaves up and down and
transmit all this info to the synth
in question. On our sample unit,
the button was a bit erratic,
sometimes switching on
program mode, sometimes not.
Although this fault could just be
due to the newness of the unit
we tested, it could be a teensy
bit annoying if you happen to
get one that does it; you have to
press the button two or three
times before it realises you’re
trying to change modes.

Altering the patches and
channels is achieved by
pressing Program Up/Down on
the top octave keys, effectively
stepping up or down through
the settings, whilst watching
the program names on the LED.

The only small niggle I came
across whilst using the unit was
the pitch bend wheel, it didn’t
bend the note as far as the
wheel on the Casio did, which if
your musical taste runs to
extreme bending and warping of
pitches, could prove a bit of a
pain.

You remember I said MiDI was
a standard and you can connect
any MIDI instrument to any
other? That’s not strictly true,
’cos sometimes you get small
differences of opinion between
some makes of synth and your
controller. Happily none of
these annoying inconsistencies
raised their ugly heads in our
test of the Cheetah MK5. It
changes channels and patches
like a good’un, and the
keyboard plays like a dream.
Considering the nearest
alternative to buying a MK5 is
lashing out for something like
Yamaha’s v. swish but v. pricey
KX5 Remote Keyboard, the
Cheetah runs away with it!

ITSayabHity ■■■■■■■■□□

"Construction ■■■■■■■■□□

MIDI Compatibility■■■■■■■■■□
■ Value for Money ■■■■■■■■■ □

FAX BOX

Product ..... MK5 MIDI Keyboard

Price. £99

Supplier ... Cheetah Marketing Ltd

at once! So there’s no need to
worry about using multitracking
tape decks to write tunes on.
Just do it on all your synths!

You can compose tunes in
Step Time, by selecting the
notes you want to play one at a
time at your leisure, or in Real
Time, playing them live at the
keyboard. Either way you get
eight tracks of music...
provided you’ve got eight MIDI
sound sources to play them on.
(Yamaha’s FB01 and TX81Z
are very good for this, as they
have eight synths all together
in a little black box the size of a
hardback book!)

The rhythm elements of a
tune can be triggered from a
MIDI compatible drum box, and
the effects on the voices can
be changed in mid warble if
you have a MIDI reverb, like
Yamaha’s Rev 7 or Alesis’

MIDIVERB, or a multi-effects
unit like Alesis’ MIDIFEX or
Yamaha’s SPX90. The mixing
can even be done for you too,
if you have a MIDI mixing desk.
Akai make a heinously
expensive one called the MPX-
820, which at £1399 prompts
the quip “Great, I’ll have two!”
This means that you can
control the faders of the mixer,
using MIDI to pull them about
electronically.

As MIDI gets more and more
complex, and the technology to
make computer music becomes
more affordable, devices like
the Cheetah MIDI system will
be very welcome. They’re
cheap, but the quality of their
performance is very high
indeed. Watch this space for
further developments.

Okay lads, from the top. A-one,
a-two, a-one, two, three, four...

Cheetah MIDI Interface

In order to sequence and
compose on a lot of MIDI
instruments at once, you have
to have a MIDI sequencer. Okay
so that sounds fairly obvious,
but once you’ve seen what one
can do, you’ll wonder how you
ever got on without one.

Lurking within a similar box to
the SpecDrum or Sound
Sampler is a full implementation
of MIDI, IN, OUT and THRU ports
and all the hardware you need
to drive the MIDI software. Also
in the package is a two metre
MIDI cable (a sort of DIN plug
really), and a cassette
containing the editing software.

The sequencer really is a full
specification! I use, in my home
studio, an Apple lie and very
expensive MIDI software.
Impressively, the Cheetah
software does what mine does,
plus a lot of things mine has
never done!

It can store eight tracks and

cope with up to 16 MIDI
channels. It has Real Time (from
the MK5 keyboard) and Step
Time (via the computer) input to
the sequencer. It has a 6,000
note memory, depending of
course on how much pitchbend
information you're using, it has
transpose and append functions
for you to edit your songs with,
plus copy and paste options.
There’s a flashing guide a bit
like the one on the SpecDrum,
which beats once every bar.

You can also select verses of
your song to play over and over,
or you can play them (if your
verses are called A, B and C,
say) in any order you choose,
like this: ABBCABABACCBCBA,
which is either a very good tune
or a word Paul Daniels uses to
make pianos disappear!

The MIDI Interface doesn’t
differ too greatly from Cheetah’s
other add-ons boxes in its
construction. A fairly
unassuming black box, with a
MIDI cable running out of the
side. It doesn’t need to look
brilliant, ’cos it’s got it ail Inside.

I Documentation ■ ■ ■ ■ I
Playability ■ ■■■!

MIDI Compatibility■■■■ I
lvalue for Money ■■■■!

FAX BOX

Product . Cheetah MIDI Interface

Price .£49.95

Supplier .. Cheetah Marketing Ltd

The Midi Lead's Connected To The...

.. .synth bone! Here are a few useful hints and tips for the
uninitiated on how to arrange the Cheetah MK5 and MIDI and
MINI interfaces so that you’ll get lots of lovely noise.

CHEETRH

MIDI KEYBOARD

The simplest way to enjoy MIDI music with the MK5 is to plug it
straight into a MIDI equipped synthesiser, like the Casio CZ-101.
Then you can play the super-dooper Casio sounds on a proper¬
sized keyboard, instead of the piddly little one it comes with.

To turn your 128/+2 into a mini synthesiser, first plug in the MINI
interface, and then attach the MK5 to the end of the interface cable.
You can then, with the free software, edit and play the sound chip as
if it was a real synth! Cor, flip me!

The cheapest way of owning a top flight synthesiser is to add a MK5
to an expander module, like the Yamaha FB01. You simply run a MIDI
cable from the MK5 into the FB01 and voila! A multitimbral (eh?) FM
synthesiser for a fraction of the price of the real thing!

SYNTH

MODULE

Using the MIDI interface you can sequence up to eight different MIDI
devices, putting the patch and pitch information into the sequencer
by playing the keys on the MK5. The sequences can then be played
back — it’s a bit like having a digital tape recorder!

►

65

◄

Cheetah MINI Interface

One of the original ideas behind
the Cheetah MK5 was the ability
to play the soundchip on the 128
Spectrum as a synth in its own
right. If this sounds like a dippy
idea to you, just think about it
for a second — imagine how
much more flexible and musical
the 128’s sound chip could be if
you could edit the sounds and
play them from a full sized
keyboard! Using a gadget called
a MINI Interface (Yes, that’s
MINI, not MIDI!) with its own
editing software, you can edit
and play the sounds on your
128. Never thought you had a
synth in your Speccy, did you?

With the special MINI soft¬
ware, you can edit the sounds,
pitch envelopes, mix white
noise and tone, and edit tremelo
(vibrato) on the 128’s screen. In
the sound edit mode, you get a
graphic display of the way the
sound looks, a sort of
oscilloscope view of the
envelope shape. There are also
keyboard split routines, so you
can play one sound on the top
half of the keyboard, and
another on the bottom half.

Okay, so it’s only a MINI
synthesiser, but what do you
want for under £30, Jean Michel
Jarre? A fine use of the
Spectrum’s sound, and more
fun than a barrel of organ-
grinders.

I Documentation ■■■■■■■□□□
Playability IIIIIII1QO
MIDI Compatibility ■■■■■■■

■ Value for Money ■■■■■■■

8

FAX BOX

Product .MINI Interface

Price .£29.95

Supplier .. Cheetah Marketing Ltd

Huso's Bluffing Glossary

A bluffers guide to selected music and MIDI terms,
device (when applied to MIDI) is any MIDI equipped instrument —
drumbox, synth, digital trousers.

expander a MIDI device usually used to add voices and timbres to
a synth, but which can be used as a synth in its own right if you
have a MIDI master keyboard to trigger the different pitches,
faders the things that producers and engineers get paid to slide up
and down on mixing desks,
master a controller for a MIDI keyboard setup.

MIDI acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface,
monophonic in mono mode, you can play a synth one note at a
time — you can’t play chords,
multitimbral having many different voices,
patch the settings on a synthesiser which produce a certain sound
—■ also applied to the sound itself,
pitch an absolute frequency assigned to a specific note on a
musical instrument. High notes have a high pitch, low notes
have a low pitch.

polyphonic in poly mode, you can play more than one note at a
time — you can play chords,
real time playing notes into a sequencer live,
sequencer a device or program which stores pitch information and
plays it back on a synthesiser.

slave a device which responds to the commands of a master or
controller device.

sound source any sound producing device,
step time playing notes into a sequencer one by one, with no time
limit.

timbre the character of a note, usually called tone colour — what a
note sounds like.

voices if you can press down eight notes on a synth and they all
sound, the synth is said to have eight voices; each individual
tone.

WoKs The Damage, John?

(All prices are approximate retail prices, and are correct at the time of
going to press — shop around a bit and you may get them cheaper!)

Yamaha DX7IID. £1499 Yamaha SPX90. £629

Yamaha TX7. £699 Casio CZ-101. £299

Yamaha FB01. £325 Alesis MIDIFEX. £299

Yamaha TX81Z. £399 Akai MPX-820 mixer. £1399

Talk To Them

A selection of useful addresses and phone numbers for your music
notebook, in case you need more information. Happy plinking!

• Cheetah Marketing, Norbury House, Norbury Road, Fairwater, Cardiff CF5
3AS. Phone(0222)555525.

• Yamaha Music Pulse, 58-60 Conduit Street, London W1. Phone 01-734
5184.

• Casio Computers, Unit 6, 1000 North Circular Road, London NW2 7JD.
Phone 01-450 9131.

• Turnkey Shop, 14 Percy Street, London W1. Phone 01 -637 0700.

miSKESflT '0M8.24579

GrcmmijriiffliTiEis

UNIT 7, SOUTH JOHN ST
CARLISLE, CUMBRIA CA2 5AJ

SINCLAIR PRODUCTS

SINCLAIR EXPANSION PACK £49.50

(includes Interface 1, Microdrive, conn lead and instruction
manual)

SINCLAIR MICRODRIVE £21.95

SINCLAIR INTERFACE 1 £29.95

SINCLAIR INTERFACE 2 £9.95

SPECTRUM + UPGRADE KITS £29.95

(Complete with comprehensive instructions and manual)

MICRODRIVE CARTRIDGES £1.50

We also operate a repair service on all SINCLAIR computers
and peripherals

eg 16/48/Spectrum + £19.95

Interface 1 £19.95

Microdrive £17.95

REPAIRS BY RETURN
HOW TO ORDER

Please make cheques and POs payable

MICROSAT

COMMUNICATIONS

Please add £1.25 P/P per order
Allow 7-10 days for delivery
C.O.D. available

A Right Royol Joystick^?

/T.

A.

, f+y h

Probably the best
joystick
in the world

#METAl SHAFT
&AUTOFIRE
+2 SELECTOR
CONNECTOR

#12 MONTH WARRANTY

ONLY.

£14

• Deluxe,robust construction.

• Comfortable rugged hand-grip, 8directional

MICROSWUCH JOYSTICK

Mach I + Joystick compatible with • Sinclair ZX Spectrum l6K.48K.t28K.*2

• Amstrad computers • Commodore 6« 6 VtC 20 Computers

• Commodore CIS & Plus 4 Computers (adaptor sold separately)

MICRO SWITCH control with automatic
centering.

• Heavy duty base with strong stabilizing
suction cups.

• Highly sensitive light touch MICRO SWITCH
fire buttons.

• Ergonomically designed control handle with
indestructable METAL SHAFT

• Built in AUTO FIRE function.

• Atari 2600 6 Atari 5200 Video Game Systems * ’»i Home Computi

(n eetal

Marketing M

m

CHEETAH MARKETING LTD ^

Norbury House, Norbury Road,
Fairwater, Cardiff CF5 3AS.
Telephone: Cardiff (0222) 555525
Telex:497455 Fax: (0222) 555527

66

Nintendo

1 w* Mario Bros, from Nintendo for your

home computer! From the arcade original

SPECTRUM featuring Fireballs, Sidestepper, Shellcreeper and Fighterfly. Flip

^ those pests and kick 'em off the pipes, but don't lose your footing on

g U those slippery floors. Play as a team or against each other; either way

^ ^ ^ you're in for a scream with Mario and Luigi - the MARIO BROS.

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© ©

"...Gave me a bad
Haddock and made me a
nervous wreck..."

Mrs. Lighthouse

"...Very fishy..."

Society for the Preservation
of the Obvious.

"...Could have filled the
Halibut Hall../'

Andre Prawn

"...Worth shelling out for..."
The Woolwich Arsenal Times

"...A game for the hard
of herring..."

'Hearsay' Magazine

"...Whale Kipper Whelk
home in the Eel-side..."
Cardiff Choir News

SPECTRUM £7.95 AMSTRAD £8.95

AVAILABLE MID-MAY

Fresh from his dismal triumph on Knutz Folly, Sweevo is thrust onto the
watery world of DEATHBOWL, a planet which, for no good reason, has
been converted into a gigantic aquarium.

Will Sweevo succeed in his mysterious mission — or will the Great Bowl-
Keeper pull the plug on him?

HYDROFOOL is a fast, 3-D, seek, chase, puzzle and laugh game, featuring
the fabulous but irrelevant HYDROMATION.

FTL FASTER THAN LIGHT, CARTER FOLLIS GROUP OF COMPANIES, SEDGLEY ROAD EAST, TIPTON, WEST MIDLANDS DY4 7UJ. Tel: 021-557 2981 (4 lines)

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS,
QUESTIONS COMPO

And answers, answers, answers is what we got.
Millions of ’em! The winner gets a zippy red robotic
phone for his correct answer, while the fifty runners
up get copies of CRL’s game, Dr What!

Winner: T Booth of Bingley, W Yorkshire.

Runners up: Garry Woodage of Portsmouth, Hants; Lee Shaw of
Hull, N Humberside; N Kerr of Ashton under Lyne, Lancs; Ronald
Beaton of Greenock, Scotland; Steven Butcher of Newton le
Willows, Merseyside; Gary Clinton of Walsall, Staffs; Simeon
Green of Tittensor, Staffs; Robert Moss of Sheffield, S Yorks; Bryan
Spink of Aylesbury, Bucks; Amber Chislett of Bootle, Merseyside;
C Edwards of Holywell, N Wales; A Green of Glenrothes,

Scotland; Hector MacGregor of Frome, Somerset; Harry Maton of
Croydon, Surrey; Craig Mitchell of Stafford, Staffs; Sara Stenhouse
of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; G Nightingale of Garforth, Leeds;
Ian Rowley of Gravesend, Kent; Paul Copeland of Worksop, Notts;
Jason Hartley of Uxbridge, Middlesex; Daniel Green of Ashford,
Kent; Liam McGuckin of Belfast, N Ireland; David Hopcroft of
Coalville, Leics; Andrew Chester of Harpenden, Herts; Colin
Bayes of Evesham, Worcs; Chris Kaye of Wirral, Merseyside; Ian
McVicar of Clydebank, Scotland; Chris Thompson of
Thamesmead, London; Craig Swanwick of Chilwell, Nottingham;
Graeme Goodaker of Wordsley, W Midlands; Paul Robinson of
Doune, Scotland; Robert Bradley of Blyth, Northumberland; Paul
Johns of Plymouth, Hants; C Parker of Bristol, Avon; Bryan Steele
of West Drayton, Middlesex; Richard Evans of Bognor Regis, W
Sussex; Paul Hart of Glasgow, Scotland; Paul Delaney of
Audenshaw, Manchester; Dominic Driscoll of Hatfield, Herts;

Tony Davis of Irchester, Northants; Martin Walters of Cardiff, S
Wales; David Neale of London; J Edwards of Boston, Lines; Simon
Barnard of Trowbridge, Wilts; R Deaper of Carlisle, Cumbria;
Matthew Bond of Edmonton, London; Mervyn Neill of Belfast, N
Ireland; Robert Huddy of Newton Abbot, Devon; Craig Jones of
Kidderminster, Worcs; Mark Johnson of Wolverhampton, W
Midlands.

REALLY HEAVY METAL COMPO

What’s snazzy, black and red, has two speakers, plays
cassettes or the radio, and has lots of buttons to push.
Give in yet? It’s easy really — the prize for the winner of
the Uridium Compo in the December issue of YS. The
runners up don’t go away empty handed either — there
are 30 copies of Uridium for them. And here are the
results...

Winner: Sarah Walmsley of Kettering, Northants.

Runners up: Paul Weston of Mill Hill, London; Alan McMillan of
Carluke, Scotland; Martin Cawthorne of Fox Hill, Sheffield; Gary
Thackray of St Ann’s, Nottingham; Matthew Denton of Great
Barford, Bedfordshire; J Marston of Wimborne, Dorset; CpI Hirdle
of BFPO 38; Mark Pattinson of Preston, Lancs; Brian McCorkell of
Forres, Scotland; Pete Shields of Middleton, Manchester; Richard
Kerse of Watford, Herts; Grant Holmes of Sutherland, Scotland;
Dave Martin of Bridgwater, Somerset; Laurence Abbott of Ipswich,
Suffolk; James Moir of Shirrell Heath, Hampshire; Mike Cummins
of Heaton Chapel, Stockport; Nick Bold of Runcorn, Cheshire; Rob
Ramshaw of Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear; Trevor Gerrard of Hyde,
Cheshire; Paul Monk of Brighton, Sussex; J Young of Market
Deeping, Peterborough; Stephen Brazier of Billingham, Cleveland;
Mark Warner of Bristol, Avon; Martin O’Connor of Chesterfield,
Derbyshire; Jason Eastick of Great Moulton, Norwich; CpI Mills of
BFPO 43; Paul Hepworth of Seaforth, Liverpool; Geoff Marks of
Thorpe le Soken, Essex; Sean Baker of Stoke on Trent, Staffs;
Chris McGowan of Hull, N Humberside.

THE MOST DISGUSTING, REVOLTING AND
GRUESOME COMPO EVER

YeeurchJ What a revolting lot you are. Well, you must be, going
by some of the entries you sent in for the Aliens Compo in the
December issue of YS. However, the Ed picked out the thirty
winners, and they'll be getting a copy of Aliens and a revolting
Aliens T-shirt each. (Not that it is revolting, of course. Well it
is, but that's not what we mean. You know what we're trying
to say...)

BUI Morrison of Glasgow, Scotland; Jorgen Jacobsen of Glostrup,
Denmark; D Duffy of Barnoldswlck, Lancs; Allan Davidson of Lanark,
Scotland; Paul Thomas of Broadgreen, Liverpool; R Haslam of
Knaresborough, N Yorks; Nick Edmunds of Redfleld, Bristol; Frank Coyle
of Stevenston, Scotland; Andrew Lewis of Edinburgh, Scotland; Jack
Balchln of Horley, Surrey; Malcolm Leary of Guernsey, Channel Islands;
Darren Holt of Halifax, W Yorks; Simon Adams of Falrbourne, N Wales;
Mark Avlss of Mitcham, Surrey; Chris Joynes of Relgate, Surrey; Jason
Marchant of Swindon, Wiltshire; D Parker of Bexleyheath, Kent; Clive
Fitch of Ipswich, Suffolk; P Satchell of Hackney, London; Roy Fielding of
Swlnton, Manchester; Howard Carlisle of Horsforth, Leeds; Paul Delaney
of Audenshaw, Manchester; Stephen Henstead of Wigan, Lancs; Darryl
Sloan of Portadown, N Ireland; Simon Kllbane of Reading, Berkshire;
David Bambrough of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear; Chris Jenkins of
Hounslow, Middlesex; Steve Mitchell of Nettleham Park, Lincoln; Kevin
Etheridge of Dundee, Scotland; Stephen Martin of Palmers Green,
London.

WILL THE REAL DAVID JONES
PLEASE STAND UP COMPO

We should have known December's Frontlines
Compo wasn't labyrinthine enough for you!
Everyone knows David Bowie is the Thin White
Duke , and these ten people will be getting a Magic
Knight T-shirt for proving it!

Alastair May of Elgin, Scotland; David Walker of Dairy,
Scotland; Mark Davies of Haverfordwest, Wales; Robert
Smith of Bridgwater, Somerset; Graham Johnson of Leeds,

W Yorks; Daryl Parson of Purfleet, Essex; T Cox ofWidmer
End, Bucks; Gary Brine of Borehamwood, Herts; L Matthias
of Leigh, Lancs; Graham Gudgin of Luton, Beds.

TRAINSPOTTER COMPO

A bendy, plasticine YS trainspotter goes to Clare
Milner of Mirfield, W Yorks for knowing the answer to
the October Frontlines Compo. A Mallard was a steam
locomotive and it went at 126 mph, so Clare (and
hundreds of others) reliably inform us. Quack! Quack!

Illustration: Anthony Colbert

prepare a page or two of hints and tips
on The Quill, GAC and the other
adventure writing utilities, which lots
of you are asking about. Let me have
your hints and also your questions, like
this one from Nic Malone, 34 Elliott
Drive, Hindley, Wigan WN2 2QY: “I
bought GAC but the booklet doesn’t
mention character interaction. You
don’t seem to be able to hold
conversations with characters. Can you
do this?” Any experts care to
comment?

Mark Chapman of Torquay has a
useful POKE for PEEKing Quill
vocabulary:

10 For a = 27000 to 65535
20 Let z = 233 - PEEK a + 32
30 IF z<32 or z> 164 THEN GOTO 50
40 PRINT CHR$(z);

50 NEXT a

Cheats of a different kind from Rick
Alexander in Sale, who suggests that
after climbing down the rope and
pulling it in Bored Of The Rings , part
three, you type CHEAT to transport
you past the basilisk. In The Hobbit, if
you find yourself trapped in the Elven
Dungeon because the butler is dead
and therefore unable to open the door,
use the dreaded DO command to break
down the door, then go to the cellar,

take the barrel, throw it through the
trap and jump after it. Finally, Rick
says that to speed up completion of
Lord Of The Rings he gets Merry to kill
the six riders on the East Road and the
three in Bree and then Frodo and
company can walk all the way along
the East Road unharmed, not forget¬
ting to pick Aragom up on the way.

While mentioning The Hobbit, thanks
to all the readers who wrote to me
pointing out that you can take Thorin
through the Elven Dungeon with you
towards the encounter with Smaug at
the end. I’d said that you couldn’t, you
just picked him up on the way back. It
just goes to show that there are
different ways of completing this
adventure. Some of you reckon you
must have Thorin with you as he picks
up Bard and takes him to kill Smaug. It
ain’t necessarily so. Most of the time
Bard will respond to ypur instructions
like BARD, “GO NORTH”, and you
don’t need Thorin with you for that.
Thanks to Mark Haworth, who wrote
about this and also to say that the code
for level 2 in Bored Of The Rings is
'GOOD TIME’. Mark asks how to find
a full solution to the game — send me
an sae and ask for one!

Lots of letters too about how to
quench your thirst in Journey To The
Centre Of Eddie Smith's Head, and these
also show there’s more than one way
to skin a cat or solve a problem.

Among those taking the alcoholic
approach is Glynn Downing of
Waterlooville in Hants, who says that
from the start you: TAKE AND WEAR
COAT, TAKE KEYS, N, W, W, W, W,

N, ENTER VAN, INSERT IGNITION
KEYS, DRIVE NORTH, EXIT VAN, N,
U, E, HIT WALL PANEL, E, TAKE
BIG KEY, W, W, D, UNLOCK DOOR,
D, TAKE WINE and drink the wine
when you’re thirsty. Another boozer
with the same solution is Terry Jones,
24 Nelson Road, Northfleet, Kent
DA 11 7EE. Terry adds that you should
use the coffee to get rid of the teddy
bear, though first you have to EEFFOC
NOSIOP with CINESRA bought at the
TSIMEHC. Now Terry’s stuck, though,
so can anyone tell him how the
computer helps, what the sausages,
drill, spade, gun and condenser are
for, and is the cat that’s sometimes in
the maze any use at all?

Hints are in already on Masters Of
The Universe from Steven Conibear of
Birmingham. To find the sword,
examine the bed and the post in the
chamber, then go south, SSECER
ENIMAXE and DROWS EKAT. To
open the drawbridge you should TAOM
MIWS as soon as you get to it, then
DROWS HTIW SMRA FO TAOC TIH.

Now a challenge to the Really Kind
Souls out there. Nicola Chottin, who’s
11 and lives at 32 Geary Drive,
Brentwood in Essex, is trying to get
hold of a poster and adventure player’s
guide to Twin Kingdom Valley. I don’t
know if a guide ever appeared from
Bug-Byte, but maybe someone has a
poster they wouldn’t mind passing on
to Nicola.

Always a Really Kind Soul is Tim
Frost, who’s sent me a solution to
Operation Stallion, even though he’s
chasing the £500 prize on offer from
Wrightchoice for the first to complete
the trilogy. I won’t give away too many
of the secrets, but one of the game’s
frustrations is knowing what to take
from part one into part two. Tom’s
advice is to make sure you’ve got a
flashlight, a file and a pencil, and then
from the catalogue choose numbers 6,
11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and
23.

Thanks to Peter Walsh who sent
me a solution to Imagination in
exchange for the help I gave him, and
so let me pass on some titbits from
that. To get the yoyo, ELCICI EVIG.

At the start of game four, don’t forget
to KCOSDNIW ENIMAXE. A useful
command in game three is EGDIRB
SSORCA EOTPIT.

S. Wood of Bishop Auckland writes
saying that he or she bought Bugsy on
Feb 28th and solved it on March 1st.

Is this a record? Could well be,
provided it’s not a leap year! S also
asks how to defeat the dragon in the
first part of SinbadAnd The Golden
Ship: EXA HTIW GNOG TIH then
EXA HTIW NIAHC TIH.

Derek Tate from Norfolk sent
various bits and pieces of advice for
Lord Of The Rings, as well as asking
me two million and one questions.
Included in his advice was “A Derek
the Troll Freebie!”, so I’ll pass that on
now. To get through the Tower Hills,
first go to the forest on the northern
side of the hills, with the exits, N, SE
and SW. From there go SW/S/E/NE/
SW and you will now be out and able
to explore the lands westwards.

My old friend Arthur Daley, sorry,
Arthur Simmons of Birmingham says
“How dare you say Birmingham’s a
foreign country, just think what
Birmingham gave this country:
Crossroads, Amy Turtle, Spaghetti
Junction, the NEC and Ricardo Mapp,
so what more could you want?” To
which the country replies: let us know
when you want them back and you can
have them — except for Ricardo, who
I’m a bit worried about as I haven’t
heard from him for a while. Are you

still out there, Ricardo? Arthur says
that my review of Apache Gold
mentions an eagle with sticky wings,
which is just what he needs as the
J unsticky eagle keeps swooping down

and stealing the com needed to make
some moonshine. "Can you remember
how you came across this perishing
J eagle?” Yes, I can, near to the

protruding rock: KCOR TA ESOON
WORHT.

From rocks to rock faces, and the
sheer one in Terrors Of Tran toss that’s
puzzling several readers, including BD
Taylor of Wirral. Thanks to John
Wilson, who’s cracked this tricky
game at last, I can let you know that if
you examine the location picture
carefully you’ll see a small red hole.
This, you’re meant to deduce without
any help whatsoever, is a keyhole. Use
the stone key on it. I won’t print that
one backwards as it sounds decidedly
unfair to me. BD Taylor also asks how
to open the crystal lid in the chest at
Vendas Vault. First you must FFATS
ETYL, if you haven’t already, and
forgive the spelling but that’s what you
need to do. Then you ELOH OTNI
FFATS TRESNI. A handy object, that
FFATS, ’cos it’s also useful for
knocking on doors and breaking them
with.

Another extremely sneaky problem
that’s puzzling plenty of readers is how
to get anywhere at the start of The
Secret Of St Brides. Some people have
guessed that the secret lies with the
mysterious door, and to open that door
you need a LICNEP and a
REPAPSWEN. You also need to enter
four consecutive commands, thanks to
The Quill’s two-word input routine,
these being: ELOHYEK NI/LICNEP
ESU/ROOD REDNU/REPAP ESU.

I’ve mentioned before that although
John Barnsley’s sent me a full solution
J for St Brides this makes no mention of

a roundhead in the game. Lots of
people have asked how to get rid of the
roundhead, so thanks to all of you who
wrote in, including Weymouth
Adventurers Inc, to say that you
DAEHDNUOR TOOHS with something
you get from the station in the middle
of nowhere. Even with a solution, I’m
still having trouble with this game — I
want to get through it to find where
this blasted roundhead is, but although
I’ve returned the cat to the woman and
gone into the alchemist’s workshop I
can’t get any further. TAKE
DISSOLVER and STAND ON PLANK,
is what I’m told I should do, but I can’t
get any response to the second input at
all. So now it’s my turn to ask you for
clues this month — does anyone out
there know what’s going on? Help!!!

Venture forth with Mike Gerrard

^ More news is creeping out
about Rainbird/Level 9’s
Knight Ore. You play the part
of an oppressed ore in a
magical world. Humans have
been persecuting ores for
donkey’s years, and now you
get the chance to get your
own back. As well as learning
magic and solving puzzles,
you have to communicate
and interact with some of the
many independent characters
in the three-part tale.

Yet more commands have
been incorporated into the
Level 9 parser, including the
ability to follow a particular
character or go straight to a
particular location. We’re also
promised “Superb quality
colour illustrations”, which
will make a nice change (he
says, tongue in cheek), but
the digitised pictures that are
promised apparently only
apply to disk versions of the
game. Boo-hoo.

£ Also from Rainbird is Guild
Of Thieves, the Magnetic
Scrolls follow-up to The Pawn.

The Spectrum version will be for
I28K machines and even then
will have to be a text-only game,
such is the size and
comprehensiveness of a
Magnetic Scrolls adventure. At
least the Spectrum version will be
the cheapest around, at £14.95.

The game itself is set, like The
Pawn , in the mystical land of
Kerovia, and it begins with you
applying to join the Guild of
Thieves, described as “an elite
band of professional
rapscallions.” Applicants have to
prove their rapscallionship by
completing a task designed to
tax their wits and ingenuity to
the limits — which is not very
far, in my case.

The Master of the Guild of
Thieves accompanies you to an
island and leaves you there,
telling you just that you have to
ransack the place and return
with its treasures. He doesn’t
even leave you six gramophone
records for company. The island
is deserted...well, apart from a
few birds, beasts and people.

Then the fun begins...

^Can Melbourne House
regain some of its
adventuring glory with

Shadows Of Mordor, the
second adventure in the Lord
Of The Rings sequence, based
on the Tolkein book The Two
Towers1

The first adventure ends
with the fellowship of the
Ring leaving Lothlorien, and
Shadows Of Mordor will take
the story on as far as the
battle at Shelob’s lair.

The storyline follows that
of the book very closely, but
allows you to deviate and
experiment with other
strategies if you wish. The
game boasts an 800-word
vocabulary and, not
surprisingly, a more complex
parser. Release is set for
June, and it’ll be yours for
£7.95.

There’s both good news and

bad news from Incentive.

The bad news is that its
promised re-release of The Ket
Trilogy has been cancelled. The
original trilogy is still available,
but the company felt that there
wouldn’t be enough of a market
to warrant continuing with the
project.

The good news is that
Incentive will be bringing out a
suite of add-on utilities for
Spectrum users of The Graphic
Adventure Creator, though date
and price have yet to be settled.
Sounds a fairly sound idea to
me. As is the offer Incentive is
making to members of the
newly instigated YS Subs Club —
but you’ll have to take out a
subscription to find out about
that.

►

73

INTERNATIONAL

AO/ENTURERS

D id you know Theodore was a popular
name in Greece? I didn’t, and I’ve been
going there for years. I thought Greek
men were all called Jorgos or Janni. Not
so! (See, the things you learn from
reading YS.) Two letters this month from Greek Teds
in Athens, the first being Theodore Blitsas, Dinois 4,
Kallithea 176 76, Athens, who offers help on The
Planets, which he claims is sort-of an adventure. Well,
okay, we’ll let it in. Theodore says the following code¬
words will prove useful: on Mercury (1066AD), Venus
(NEWTON), Earth (LIFE), Mars (EINSTEIN), Jupiter
(PIONEER), Saturn (GALILEO), Uranus (21JUNE),
Neptune (SPUTNIK) and Pluto (CRATER). As for the
database password: MARTECH.

In return, help is needed on Fourth Protocol
Theodore says he’s got the code from Part One but he
can’t decipher it in Part Two and learn the right
password to enter the elevator. I’m no expert on this,
but I’m told it can be deciphered on one of the one¬
time-pads, the code for the lift working out as:
NEPSA. Anyone able to help further, your contact
awaits you in Athens.

Also in Athens is Ted Costis, 2 Rodou Street,
Amaroussion, Athens GR 15122, Greece. Ted asks to
be made a Lost Soul, but there’s more room in the
International section this month so he’s here instead,
offering help on Subsunk, Lord Of The Rings, Bored Of
The Rings and The Hobbit. So if you want to contact a
17-year-old adventuring Greek who's a keen D&D fan,
write to Ted, who also provides a good bug from Lord

Of The Rings. Typing KILL ME when the program
begins results in Sam hitting Pippin, Merry hitting
Frodo three times, then (according to Ted) “the
program begins to cough” and asks you to load
something in.

LOSTSOULS

L ost Souls by the trillion, this month, so
let’s get on with it straight away with
Ian Fraser, 2414 Allanfield, Edinburgh
EH7 5YG. Ian wants to know how to do
the maze in Zorro and where the
dredger ship in Elite is. Okay, so they’re not
adventures, but what the heck!

And someone must care enough to help MA Smith,
70 Glenhurst Ave, Ruislip, Middx HA4 7LZ. In
Countdoum by Central Solutions, how do you open the
trapdoor at the top of the spiral staircase after having
found the key to the room, and what is meant by the
clue, “In order to start, press blue”?

General help is needed on Necris Dome by Wren
Bull, Tv Lock, Llanddarog Rd, Carmarthen, Dyfed. In
fact Wren would be glad to hear from anyone else
who’s playing this game, as mentions of it are few and
far between.

Another lesser-known name is Ziggurat from
Software Super Savers, and Chris Jones of 32
Harington Road, Formby L37 1NU is stuck in it.

Chris’s problem is that he can only find 98 coins and he
needs 99 in order to open a door. As all 98 were just
lying around on the floor, is there one hidden
somewhere? And does anyone have copies of early
adventures like Circus and Waxworks that they’ve
finished with? If so, Chris might be interested in
swopping some of his games for them.

Harold Light Jnr lives at 34 Monsal Avenue,
Fairfield, Buxton, Derbyshire DK17 7TD, but is at
present wandering round inside Eddie Smith’s head.
Can anyone tell him, amongst other things, how to
communicate with the man at the Samaritans and with
the constable (SAY HELLO HELLO HELLO?) Where
can he find a key to unlock the door in Eddie’s house,
and how do you use the computer?

And finally any help at all on several adventures is

needed by Glenn Thompson, 24 Jubilee Heights,
Dromore, Co Down, N. Ireland, the several being
Spytrek Adventure, QuestprobelH, Smuggler’s Cove,
Kobyashi Naru and, the very final word, Zzzz zzz z zz zzzzz.

KINDSOULS

T he first kind soul this month is Les

Mitchell, 10 Tavistock Street, Newland
Avenue, Hull HU5 2LJ. He has help
available on Seabase Delta, Subsunk, The
Helm, Mafia Contract I and II, El
Dorado, Marie Celeste, Spiderman, Urban Upstart,
Invincible Island and Message From Andromeda.

Chris Jones, 32 Harington Rd, Formby L37 1NU
will help on Eureka, Hobbit, NeverEnding Story,
Hunchback III, Gremlins, Black Forest Chateau, Bored Of
The Rings, Heroes Of Earn, Zacaron Mystery, Seabase
Delta, Classic Adventure, Message From Andromeda, Inca
Curse, Mafia Contract II, The Helm, Invincible Island,
Fourth Protocol I and III, Spiderman, Hulk, Hacker, Fire
On The Water, Three Weeks In Paradise, Pyjamarama,
Boggit and Subsunk.

Being quite modest about his adventuring successes
is Jason Nicholls, 45 Institute Road, Eccleshill,
Bradford, West Yorkshire BD2 2HU. In fact Jason’s got
through quite a few and will help other YS readers who
might be stuck in Hulk, Spiderman, Gremlins, Robin Of
Sherwood, Aftershock, Planet Of Death, Espionage Island,
Golden Apple, Eye Of Bain, Message From Andromeda,
Quest For The Holy Grail, The Thompson Twins
Adventure, Magic Mountain and something called
Roman Italy.

The biggest list of successes this month has to
belong to Andrew Orwin, The Old Post Office,
Kirklington Road, Bilsthorpe, Newark, Notts NG22
8SS. Pause for deep breath and orft we go with: Boggit,
Fanlight I and II, Seabase Delta, Subsunk, Mafia
Contract ll, Spy Trek, Apache Gold, Shrewsbury Key,
Hulk, Heroes OfKam, Hampstead, Kentilla, Rebel
Planet, Vera Cruz, Mindstone, Knight Tyme, Spellbound,
The Helm, Invicible Island, Lord Of The Rings, Hobbit,
Holy Grail, Dracula, Enigma Force, Redhawk, Red
Moon, Mindshadow, Hacker, NeverEnding Story, Fourth
Protocol, Runestone, Master Of Magic and Pyracurse.

THE SIDNEY AFFAIR

A fter The Vera Cruz Affair
comes the much more
mundane sounding Sidney
Affair, but there’s nothing
mundane about the scene
of the crime. James Sidney’s bleeding
body lies sprawled across a pavement
in St. Etienne in France, where you

have the good fortune to be a Detective
Sergeant in the Crime Squad. James
Sidney has the not-quite-so-good

fortune of having a bullet through his
bonce, and your job is to find out who
put it there.

Like Vera Cruz, you make a start by
photographing the scene of the crime,
this being done by moving a
magnifying glass around the screen and
pressing SPACE when it’s over
something you think might be of
interest. An enlargement and some
info is printed at the bottom of the
screen. Unlike Vera Cruz, you get two
introductory screens for the price of
one, ’cos once you’ve given the body
the once-over you can photograph the
room opposite where you think the
fatal shot was fired from.

Part two links you up with the
French police network, heavily
computerised, and you can tap away at
your keyboard to try to summon up the
various research resources at your
disposal. How about starting with a
quick autopsy to discover the grisly
details of the bullet in the cranium and
the lack of bum marks and powder

traces, indicating a shot from at least
five metres away? Ballistics on the
cartridge show exactly where it was
fired from, but as you found the
cartridge yourself in part one this
shouldn’t surprise you too much. A
quick visit to Mrs Sidney reveals she
has no idea who killed her hubby or
why, and as far as she knew he had no
enemies. So what’s with the bullet in
the brain, a friend playing a practical
joke??

Further enquiries are up to you, mes
braves, and if you like the idea of
playing detectives you’ll enjoy this
one. A sort of ’tecs only adventure?

I Graphics ■■■■■HHHDD

1 Text ■■■■■■■□□□

_ Value For Money II11

I Personal Rating lllllll ICHITl

8

FAX BOX

Title.

. The Sidney Affair

Publisher .

Price .

.£8.95

74

IKEfSl

mm?*"-

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successful publishers of entertainment software ^01
in the World are now seeking experienced Q ft \\ \ A/j*.

developers to join our team of top class
programmers.

_ If you are proficient in

assembly language for Z80,6502, 68000, 6068, have a proven
track record and wish to produce first class products for our
appreciative customers around the World, then you owe it to yourself to
contact us.

-- We are not just offering superb financial rewards as you

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Please send your CV to the address below enclosing,
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you get started the sooner you'll be on the road to success - • * • ”

Ocean Software Limited

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Telephone: 061 -832 6633 Telex: 669977 Oceans G. *

THOUGHTS & CROSSES

{COMPUTERS) LTD.

33 MARKET STREET, HECKMONDWIKE, WEST YORKS

PRINTERS

Citizen 120D NLQ.£195.00

Panasonic KXP 1080 NLQ.£189.00

LEADS

Discovery to Centronics.£ 15.00

Rotronics to Centronics.£15.00

Interface 1 to RS232.£15.00

QL to RS232.£15.00

Spectrum 128 to RS232.£15.00

Microdrive Ext. Lead.£8.00

MISCELLANEOUS

S/S 3 Vi in disks (each).£2.00

Microdrive cartridges (4).£7.50

DKT 3-Channel Sound.£27.00

Extender & Re set.£4.50

Ribbon Cable Extension.£10.00

Multiface One.£39.00

Megasound (Cheetah).£9.95

Microdrive Library Case.£5.95

Microslot.£6.95

AMX Mouse.£65.00

Kempston Mouse.£69.00

Saga Emperor keyboard.£45.00

Saga Elite 2 keyboard.£59.00

Slomo.£14.00

Specdrum.£29.00

Spectrum 48K reset button.£4.50

Sweet Talker.£22.50

Interface E (Kempston).£39.00

Kempston Compatible

Joystick Interface.£10.00

Pace Setter (KC + Slomo)

Joystick Interface.£14.90

Sure Shot Joystick (standard).£15.00

Sure Shot De Luxe Joystick.£17.00

Zip Stick Satellite Joystick.£19.95

Sound + Sampler (Cheetah).£42.00

Spectrum + Cover.£2.99

Spectrum Cover.£1.99

Spectrum 128 Cover.£3.50

Spectrum+ 2 cover.£3.99

Multiface 128.£45.00

Spectrum + 2 inc. free software

plus joystick.£149.00

QL PRODUCTS

Microvitec DQ1451 Monitor.£275.00

Miricle 512K upgrade.£120.00

QL to Centronics Interface.£20.00

QL Mouse.£69.00

QL Twin Disk Drive + Interface...£305.00

SERIOUS SPECTRUM SOFTWARE

Beta Basic 3.0.£13.50

Master File.£13.50

Master File MFP.£17.95

Super Code 3.£11.65

Mini Office.£5.35

Basic Compiler.£14.35

C Compiler.£22.50

Dev Pac 4.£12.50

Pascal.£22.50

Omnicalc 2.£13.50

Laser Genius.£13.50

The Writer.£13.50

The Writer 128K.£16.25

Genie.£8.95

Tasword 3 Microdrive m/c.£14.85

Tasword 3 Disc.£17.95

WE HAVE 100s OF PROGRAMS IN STOCK,
SEND FOR LIST STATING MACHINE

Spectrum, Amstrad. QL. BBC, Electron, Commodore 64
Amstrad PCW. Amstrad PC 1512
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND CARRIAGE
EXPORT ORDERS WELCOME - ASK OR SEND FOR PRICE LIST

T«l: (0924) 409753 Tel: (0924) 402337 for General Enquiries. Telex: 556577 CROSSG

Your Sinclair
Makes.

THIS MONTH — A YS BINDER

0

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1 Assemble your materials:

a cardboard box

an empty washing up liquid bottle
an egg carton

a sheet of sticky-backed plastic

2 Cut the top and bottom off the washing up liquid bottle. Then cut
down the middle of it (see diagram)

3 Study diagram and follow folding instructions carefully

4 Oops!

5 Destroy the evidence.

ALTERNATIVELY...

Why go through all the palaver? Why not just send a cheque for
£4.95 to receive a beautifully hand-crafted YS binder for no more
trouble than sticking the stamp on the envelope (ask a parent or
older person to help you).

Okay, I admit defeat! Please rush me. YS Binders.

Please tick the correct box.

□ UK £4.95

□ Europe £5.45

□ Rest of the World £5.95

I enclose my personal cheque/postal order made

payable to Dennis Publishing Ltd for £.

Or, as I don’t carry cash, charge my "Access/Visa/
American Express/Diners Club/Mastercharge card
number ..

(‘Delete as applicable)

Signature.

Full Name .

Address.

Postcode.

Send the completed form, or a photocopy, with payment or
credit card number to: Your Sinclair Binder Offer, PO Box 320,
London N2I 2NB. Prices include postage and packing.

.J

75

VES

What's more trendy
than Tina Turner,
more stylish than Paul
Weller, more flexible
than Rolf Harris's
didgeridoo, more
colourful than
Madonna's make-up,
more washable than
Simon le Bon, more
hip than Shakin'
Stevens, got more
coverage than Freddie
Mercury's toupde?
Well, it's not this lot
for sure. It's the YS T-
Shirt!

A t last, after all your
requests, here's what
you've been waiting
for. A full-colour
piccy of the YS team? Nope.
Better than that — it's the
brand new YS T-shirt. Now you
can look just like this Motley
Crue — though fortunately, it's
not obligatory.

You can forget your C&A,
M&S, BHS, DMs and all the
rest. The only letters that stand
for fashion this year are YS.
Fully washable, 100 per cent
cotton, hi-style YS T-shirts will
be covering all the best bodies
from Paris to Penge, from
Milan to Morecambe Bay.

And they're not only the
hippest things with four holes
but they have a hundred and
one uses too. You can wear
them, hang them in your
wardrobe, fold them up and
keep them in a drawer . . .
Well, that's three uses to start
you off.

But best of all, they only cost
£4.50 each including post and
packing, so you can afford to
wear nothing else. Well,
perhaps you'd better wear a
pair of trousers if you don't
want to get arrested!

VEST OF THE BEST

I'd like to in-vest in a fabulous YS T-shirt. I'm sending you the paltry sum of £4.50 to cover the
cost of the most stylish piece of soft wear since the flare.

Name ....
Address.

.Postcode.

Now send me . T-shirts at £4.50 each including post and packaging. (Please make

all cheques or postal orders payable to Dennis Publishing Ltd.)

For the perfect cover up, I'd like the following sizes:

Small □ Medium □ Large □ XLarge □

The vest is yet to come — so please allow 28 days for delivery.

J

Send your T-shirt money to: YS T-shirt offer, PO Box 320, London N21 2NB

Vest friends.

Available on Spectrum, Amstrad & Commodore

DURELL sales dept.,

Castle Lodge, Castle Green, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4AB R R p .

Telephone (0823) 54489 " ,r 1

You ate invited to join the
Murder Club, but be careful
you could,„ 1 end up.

‘YES, IT WAS A
DARK AND STORMY
NIGHT... A PERFECT
NIGHT FORMURDER’’

“I Hercule Holmes, had gotten
used to nights like this. As the
world s greatest detective and
resident house dick of the
infamous Gargoyle Hotel. I’ve
made a living looking for the
subtle signs of impending foul
play. Gloomy weather, blood
curdling screams, gunshots,
empty bottles of poison, bodies
tumbling down stairs, a
mutilated corpse or even an
axewielding maniac might slip
right by the untrained
private eye. But to a master
sleuth like myself, these
telltale signs can only
mean one thing.

The Murder Club

has Just
checked in!

CttRTlHtfE

“The Murder Club?’ Yes, the Murder Club! Five of the
world s bestselling murder mystery writers who
transpose their fictional pulp plots into real-life murder
and mayhem. Once again they have convened for their
annual reunion here at the Gargoyle Hotel. And once
again the dark, damp hails will echo with the cries of
Don't shoot!’. ‘I’ve been poisoned!’, ‘Who stabbed
me?’. I’ve been shortsheeted!’. and ‘Who took all the
hot water?’ Yes, with the Murder Club as tonight’s
guests, more than the plumbing will be amiss!’’

“Each member of The Murder Club will try to bump
off the others and lay down claim to the crown of
World’s Greatest Murderer’. But it will not be a piece
of quiche! For these brilliant criminal minds must

match wits with moi. Hercule Holmes! I have only

BHiiaB U-S- G°ld Ltd.. Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford,
Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 356 3388

until midnight to discover the would-be murderer,
victim, murder weapon and the scene of the crime.”

“At my disposal will be every imaginable piece of
high tech crimestopping gadgetry known to
sleuthdom: minicameras, hidden bugs, even wire taps,
yet all these modern electronic wonders cannot replace
my inherent ability as a born detective... instincts
passed from generation to generation in the Holmes
family.

Therefore, I accept the challenge. I will uphold the
family honour! Before this night is over I will prevent a
murder or be murdered trying! If I fail, one of the
illustrious members of the Murder Club will surely be
killed... yes Killed Until Dead!”

CBM64/I28

tape i 9.99 /f|;

disk £14.99

SPECTRUM 48K
tape £8.99

AMSTRAD

FOUR MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

G ood to see 8th Day

emerging again, with its
recent HRH and now this
re-release of one of its
original titles — if my
memory serves me well, and it usually
doesn’t, wasn’t this the first software
house to put out budget-priced Quill ’d
adventures?

Two versions of the game are on this
enhanced tape, with graphics on side
one and without graphics but with
expanded text on side two. Many new
features have been added as well in
this tale where you have to recruit a
gang of helpers to save the world from
the usual mayhem and destruction.
Type in HISTORY (NAME) and you’ll
be given a potted history of the
character named, while STATISTICS
(NAME) gives you details of their
skills and strengths. PARTY will let
you know which characters you have
with you at the moment, and you get
people to join or leave you by using
RECRUIT (NAME) and LEAVE (NAME).
The world’s on the verge of destruction,

as the title implies, and it’s not a
pleasant place to be. The lengthy
descriptive passages include lots of
gory prose along the lines of “the air is
full with the stench of putrefaction”
and “the strong sickening smell of
death rises from all around.” As with
many of the 8th Day titles, the
problems are sometimes cleverly
worked out — and this one starts with
you having just two moves to stop a
car plunging into a petrol station and
exploding in a ball of flame. Can you
save the driver and make him your first
recruit?

Then you make your way to the
nearby city with its looted shops and
rat-infested tunnels — and make sure
you read your location text closely, as
you’ll need to examine some of the
objects mentioned.
f Graphics are very good, as far as
I’ve seen, and beautifully detailed:
flashing neon signs and lorries with
indicator lights going. The text is
livened up with the occasional UDG
too, and all in all the program’s very

nicely presented.

* c* c are c« n the f orccour t c f a

& fn a l l gasoline station t e < i d e

^ o w or, several neglected f omf :

i e r e is d s rri all road running
the east that see m5 to di s a p 11

t c« t l. e horizon. The garage

fronting 'is to the im e s t , the

station itself t-eing in a gre^

I Graphics
1 Text

_ Value For Money
I Personal Rating

8

FAX BOX

Title.

Publisher ..

.. 8th Day, 18 Flaxhill, Moreton,

Wirral L46 7UH

Price .

THE CROWN

Y ou may remember Operation
Stallion, also from
Wrightchoice, reviewed in
the April issue.. .on the
other hand you may not,
see if I care. If you do, however, you’ll
recall it was the first in a planned
trilogy with a prize of 500 smackers to
the adventurer who was first past the
post in solving all three. The same
applies to The Crown, and I think it’s
better than its predecessor — which is
this month’s big word. The Ed allows
me one per issue, you know.

The programmer has had the cheek
to set The Crown in that place beloved
of adventure reviewers who like to
send up silly names: the lands of
Tharg. The hero has an even sillier
name, Yed Prior, who sounds like he
ought to be running a monastery
instead of trying to reclaim his rightful
place on the Throne of Tharg. Yes,
your friends might think of you as a
poor peasant but you know who your
father was — nice of your mother to
tell you, really, and also to give you his
ring to help you on your quest.

You also have a broadsword, and
you’re going to need it as this is a
combative adventure. You seem to be
able to attack almost any other
character you meet on the way, from
innocent shopkeepers to nasty guards
beating up old ladies, and if you
engage them in combat you go into a

little routine that allows you to choose
your form of attack (lunge, swing or
hack) and then defence (retreat, dodge
and duck) before you sit back and let
battle commence. The author says the
combat sequences are unique in not
relying on randomly generated
numbers, and I thought at one point I’d
cracked the system, till a guard turned
round and cracked me on the skull to
prove me wrong.

I find combat sequences tedious,
because even if the numbers aren’t
randomly generated, it’s still a random
choice that you make each time, and I
believe luck should play no part in the
solving of an adventure. But I’m just
an old stick-in-the-mud, and I know
lots of adventurers have an insatiable
thirst for this kind of bloodthirsty
bashing. At least there’s a RAMSAVE
which means a very quick resurrection
should you die — which you frequently
do. And you can always RAMSAVE
again when you’ve beaten each
opponent.

The rest of the adventure is well
above average and very enjoyable,
though I think it’s a bit unfair to rely
on using the word CAREFULLY in
solving the first problem, when we’re
dealing with a Quill’d game where the
vast majority of inputs are verb-noun.
There are plenty of other human
characters in the game, and nice use
has been made of some of The Quill’s

features — you enter a pub as the
Harbour Master drinks up and
leaves, and if you follow him out you
find him sitting in his office on the
harbour front. He’ll allow you to join a
galleon if you have your papers, but
when he’s given these the once-over
he’ll point out that you need a sextant
as well, so off you go again to try and
equip yourself further. Other characters
lend an air of reality to the adventure
as well, and my only frustration was so
many combat sequences when I really
wanted to get on with trying to solve
the problems. A mite over-priced, but
for those of you who like this kind of
thing, this is definitely the kind of
thing you’ll like.

ne also etwo«-*e oJ 2 : -
fi g cit e gucipd.

Ihe gucand Cooks twpot tent He
Cjewcinds t o see yotin p«i>ens.
Whcit next?

BGIVE PAPER
irotj cfi n t .

T he gucind looks t«pcit tent He
oe^c* fios to see your* pcipens .

W H«t next?

^ou cii-e Cfini-*y t ng : -

fi bnocidswond.
fin onncite ntng.

THe gtiupd Cooks t^pctt cent He
oewunds to see youp pcn>eps .
WHiit next?

13 >

I Graphics
B Text

_ Value For Money
I Personal Rating

□□□□□□□□□□

■■■■■■■■□□

■■■■■■■□□□

FAX BOX

Title. The Crown

Publisher .. .Wrightchoice Software,

PO Box 100, Troon,
Ayrshire KA10 6BD
Pric e .£6.95

►

79

PAWS FOR

Want to know whether to buy Gilsoft’s latest adventure
writing utility, the Professional Adventure Writer ? Never
mind the benchmarks, Mike Gerrard applies the exclusive
YS Pawmarks Test and puts some animal magic back into
your adventures.

A re you fed up of playing
adventures written by
someone else? Fancy a go at
writing your own? Well,
Gilsoft may well have come
up with the ideal package to let you
try. It’s called the Professional Adventure
Writer, or PAW for short, and its
purpose in life is to transfer your
brilliant adventuring ideas from the
drawing board to the Speccy. The
package comes complete with a 66-
page introductory manual, a 72-page
technical guide, and a sample adventure
called Tewk, showing some enterprising
uses of PAW's facilities. So, what will
you need to turn all your ideas into
proper stories? Let’s take it from the
top...

PAWQUILL?

PAW works in the same menu-driven
manner as The Quill, and the screen
layout will look totally familiar to
experienced users, ’cos many of the same
single-letter commands are retained. A
major difference is that the program now
works on the first five letters of each
word, rather than the first four, making it
far more versatile. Unfortunately you still
can’t have both an orange and an orang¬
utan in your game, but a mouse and a
moustache will be possible! Other
differences are that the text is formatted
automatically on-screen (no need to fill
those location descriptions up with blank
spaces to make it look smart), there are
256 flags, various commands like GET
ALL and PUT ALL, an understanding of
IT and THEM, a much more comprehen¬
sive parser and the ability to input speech
and pseudo-intelligent characters...disc
jockeys, orang-utans and magazine
editors, that kind of thing.

RAISE THE FLAG!

Of the 256 flags, many (well, 42 to be
precise) are set aside for specific
purposes — just like The Quill really. That
still leaves you with...erm...(removes
shoes to help counting)...214 of your
own to play around with. Flag 38, for
instance, is always your current location,
flag I is the number of objects carried
and flag 46 is the current pronoun (to
identify the use of IT and THEM). The
most powerful addition here, and one
that will be a real boon when testing
adventures, is the ability to change a
flag’s value when playing through the
game using diagnostics. For instance, if
you discover that the snake won’t move
out of the way, despite the fact that
you’ve fed it with the dead rat, and the
reason is that you’ve forgotten to change

the flag that governs whether the snake
has been fed or is hungry, then you’re
able to alter the flag’s value and carry on
playing, rather than have to return to the
database to do it. If you discover you
haven’t allowed the player to carry
enough objects, increase the value of flag
37.

PLAYING BY NUMBERS

Words are allocated a main number, and
are usually given a secondary number to
indicate what type of word they are —
all nouns are number 2, all verbs are
zero. The main number of a word is the
one which identifies it in the vocabulary
table. For instance, values of 49 and
under are reserved for proper nouns —
usually the names of people and places.
This means the parser will ignore them
when it tries to interpret what IT or
THEM refers to. Normally if you use the
word IT then the parser will check back
to the last noun typed in and assume
that’s what the IT refers to. Fine, you
might say, isn’t that always the case?

Well, think about this sentence: GET
THE BUN AND FEED THE ELEPHANT
WITH IT. The parser would check back
and discover that you’re trying to feed
the elephant with the elephant, and it’d
faint at the prospect of trying to carry
out that command. By giving the elephant
a number of 49 or under, the parser
ignores the elephant and realises that IT
refers to the bun.

PARSING TIME

I suspect that an adventure could have
the most stunning mega-parser in the
world, and most people would still go
round typing in GET HIPPO, DROP
OSTRICH, and so on. But there are
times when the simple verb-noun formula
is restricting, and PAW will cope with a
sentence containing up to one verb, two
nouns, two adjectives to go with the
nouns, one adverb, one preposition, and
speech to another character. This speech
is contained in quotes, and can contain
up to one noun, two verbs...and so on.
Don’t try and put speech inside the
speech, though.

The maximum acceptable input is 125
characters, but within that you can string
together as many sentences as you like,
provided each is separated by some form
of punctuation or AND or THEN, though
you can change that to any other suitable
word — if you can think of one!

Verbs are remembered, so GET THE
FERRET AND THE FROG would be
understood and acted upon, and you can
even manage to fool the program into
understanding the word EXCEPT. The
way the ALL’ command works, f’rinstance
in GET ALL, DROP ALL, PUT ALL, is to
make the verb act on each noun in turn
that could possibly be got or dropped,
but if you type GET ALL EXCEPT THE
FROG, then ‘FROG’ is removed from the
nouns to be got and is left where it is,
the verb in this case not being carried
forward and repeated.

Multiple input is useful when you want
to whizz through a section of an
adventure while you go and make a cup
of tea — GO NORTH, GET THE BUN
AND FEED IT TO THE ELEPHANT
THEN SAY TO THE PARROT “WEAR
THE EYE-PATCH AND COME HERE.”

OBJECTS

Objects aren’t just objects anymore,
they can now be light or heavy, be
worn and removed, and be containers
as well. If you try to PUT THE
PEANUTS IN THE PARROT, for
instance, or put anything into
something that isn’t a container, then
you can program in a suitable
response such as “No way” or “What
a concept!” However, you might
decide to make a kangaroo into a
container, so PUT PEANUTS IN
KANGAROO is okay, perhaps
producing a response of “You put the
peanuts in the kangaroo’s pouch.”

Giving weights to your objects is
straightforward enough, and you can
set a weight limit that someone can
carry, rather than specify a number of
objects — maybe eating a can of
spinach produces extra strength, so
just change the flag that covers the
weight you can manage.

Wearable objects are also
automatically removable, but if you do
want to program a straight-jacket into
the game there are ways round that.

80

Illustration:NicH Davies

THOUGHT “«*«

The speed with which PAW whips
through a sequence of commands like
this is incredible, though it’s hardly fair to
criticise a program for being too fast!

You’ll have to pause the parser with the
PAUSE command if you want the player
to see what’s happening.

CHARACTER ACTING

PAW will allow up to five different
character sets in memory at the same
time, in addition to the standard
Spectrum set, and you can switch
between these as and when you choose.

A file provided with PAW gives 22 fonts
for you to choose from, but there’s also
a character editor which allows you to
design your own should none of the 22
be quite right. You can also use this to
design UDG’s, and create 16 of your own
shading patterns for use in the Graphics
Editor.

FOLLOW THE PROCESSION

As with GAC, PAW has a series of process
tables by which you give priority to
various actions, the main ones being
called simply Process I and Process 2.

The first contains anything that you want
to happen after the program has printed
the location description but before the
player takes a turn, the second responds
to the player’s input and awaits the next
turn. In total, though, you can have up to
254 process tables, called from the main
ones in the way that sub-routines work
in a program. One could keep track of a
particular object, say, or another could
look after one of the characters you’ve
created.

PSI’S ALL ROUND

A pseudo-intelligent character or PSI, is a
character, whose activities can be
gathered together in one of the process
tables, though Gilsoft’s really used flags,
messages and responses more
i intelligently. Say you want your game to

have a goat, which constantly gets your
goat by trying to eat some vital object
you need — and you have to distract it
j with a pot of glue to gum its mouth up.

Use one of your flags as a counter, and
every ten moves the goat will arrive in
the player’s location. He has one chance
to deal with the goat, which will be to
DROP GLUE, and unless he’s carrying
the glue he must leave the location or
the goat will eat one of the objects the
player’s carrying.

Alternatively, the goat can be made to
wander around the location, or a set of
locations, by itself, and the confrontation
only occurs when the player and goat
turn up at the same place at the same
time. Your process table for the goat will
be along the lines of: is the goat in this
location? If not, go back to the main
table. If it is, wait for the player’s input,
and if this isn’t DROP GL UE or an exit
move then check the player’s inventory
for something edible and eat it. Then
print a message saying THE GOAT LICKS

PAW DRAW

The graphics section of PAW is similar
to The Illustrator, and allows you to
choose how you want your screen
layout to look. Do you want a full
graphics screen to be replaced by text
at the touch of a key, as with the
original Quill/lllustrator combination? Or
maybe a consistent split between text
and graphics areas? Or a variable split,
with some graphics taking up smaller
sections of the screen? Or a text that
scrolls up the screen and edges the
picture out of the way? All these can be
used, and varied within a game — no
need to be consistent at all.

There are fewer drawing options
than GAC, but equally good results
should be possible. The full routine
seems faster than GAC, and sub-pictures
can be called up, though the SCALE
command seems to have disappeared.
There’s a Kempston joystick option,
and the helpful background grid can be
toggled on and off as required.

ITS LIPS AND LEAVES YOU IN PEACE.

PAW alsOv includes a ‘real-time’ facility,
enabling certain things to happen while
the player’s thinking...the adventure goes
on around you. I wonder what good
programmers will make of this option!
One of the additional files on the PAW
tape will be familiar to anyone who’s
bought The Press. This takes your
database and searches it for common
groups of letters, then changes these into
single tokens to save on memory. The
only drawback to this feature is the time
it can take...anything up to an hour and
more for lengthy adventures!

TAKE-FIVE

To make maximum use of the memory,
Gilsoft has put five additional files on the
tape after the main program, as well as
the one containing the extra fonts. These
are loaded in when you choose the
various menu options, which might sound
a little fiddly but it works perfectly well if
you’ve got a tape counter, although you
can easily transfer the CODE files to
separate tapes if you wish. The files
cover menu options like saving and
verifying the adventure, the graphics and
character editor sections, the messages
table, text compressor and so on.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR I28K
OWNERS?

Quite a lot, not surprisingly. The
program checks which machine it’s being
loaded into at the start, though I28K
owners can load in 48K mode and still
produce adventures for the smaller
machine. Big Speccies can have an
adventure database of about II2K, thanks
to PAW’S overlay technique. 48K owners
have a series of sequential files on the
tape (see ‘Take-Five’), which have to be

loaded in before certain sections of
the PAW’S menu can be worked on, but
I28K owners won’t need to make use of
this facility till their database has passed
the 92K mark. It might just be possible
to squeeze a decent adventure into II2K!

The DIY adventuring trail started with
Gilsoft, when it bought out The Quill a
couple of years ago. Incentive followed
this up with the Graphic Adventure
Creator , and now Gilsoft’s hit back with
PAW and an initial look makes it hard
to fault this program. Indeed, I found
PAW as pleasurable to use as The Quill
when it first appeared. Although I
raved over GAC in the August issue, I
make no excuses for raving over PAW
now — this type of utility program is
constantly improving. Gilsoft’s parser is
much better than Incentive’s, the ability
to speak to characters is welcome, as
is the range of fonts, the RAM save,
the character editor and the 48K/I28K
options. It comes on cassette or
microdrive at the moment, and there
are Beta, Disciple and Opus disk
versions in preparation. There’s also
bound to be a Plus 3 disk version too
when the machine finally appears.

When you consider the quality of
many of today’s QuilF d adventures, just
think how they’ll look when they’ve
been PAW 1 d. And it won’t only be old
adventures that get the tickling up —
there’s bound to be a whole flood of
PAWd adventures very soon.

FAX BOX

Title.

... Professional Adventure Writer

Publisher...

.. Gilsoft, 2 Park Crescent, Barry,
South Glamorgan CF6 8HD

Price.

.£22.95 (cassette) or £27.95

(microdrive)

31

Win one of five Nemesis
The Warlock pure and
vigilant goodybags,
containing the arcade
game, the T-shirt, the
book, the badge, the
romper suit and the
overhead firebreathing
mask! (Well okay, we lied
about the last two ...)

T omas de Torquemada, the
Grand Master of Termight,
has finally gone too far. His
fight to ‘purify’ the world of
all ‘deviants’ has reached
terrifying proportions, so Nemesis the
Warlock has decided it’s time to
squelch the evil tyrant once and for
all! You see, purifying means killing,
and deviants are anyone who
Torquemada says they are. But it’s
devils, like Nemesis and his son,

Thoth, that really get Torquemada’s
goat.

This final epic battle is the subject
of Martech’s new smash hit game,
Nemesis The Warlock , where our hero
(ta-dah!) slashes and shoots his way
through Torquemada’s minions (called
the Terminators) until he’s demoral¬
ised them enough to make
it through to the next level. It’s really
gutsy stuff, with bits of Terminator
ending up all over the shop.

There’s lots of frenzied bloody
splattery gory fun to enjoy, and all this
can be yours, as well as a demon black
Nemesis T-shirt fronted with a piccy
of the great green devil himself, a
Nemesis badge and the brand new,
hot off the presses Nemesis Book Five
(megawow!) if you can solve this
puzzle. For those of you impure
enough not to win one of the five first
prizes, there’s still a chance for you to
mash some Terminators, ’cos there are
25 games for the runners up, too! But
you still have to solve the same
problem, oh, wicked little deviants ...
(heh heh heh).

All you have to do is ring round all
the words you can find in the
wordsquare with a neutronic stylus (a
biro will do if you can’t find one), and
when you’ve finished, fill in the
coupon and send it, or a photocopy, to
I’d Like A Little Word With You,
Torquemada, And The Word Is Credo
Compo, 14 Rathbone Place, London
W1P IDE. Dead simple really! Heh
heh.

Be There! Be Square! Be Your
Sinclair!

Rules

Be vigilant — get your entries in
by June 30th or your chances will
be terminated.

Minions of the Dark Lords Of
Death (employees of Dennis
Publishing and Martech to their
friends) are forbidden to enter
this compo.

Communications with the Great
Warlock (The Ed) are also strictly
forbidden, unless you fancy
being turned into a frog!

YS AND MARTECH COMPETITION

BE PURE!

BE VIGILANT!
BEHAVE!

TORQUEMADA MARTECH TERMINATORS CANDIDA

WARLOCK THOTH SATANUS PURITY

TERMIGHT PRIMORDS MONADS NEMESIS

I know where the twelve words of power are lurking, and just to prove it, here
are my answers.

Name.

Address.

L

Postcode. I

__I

82

MOTION - THE ONLY ABSOLUTE

•inding the Kinemator will test every

Ijaw, every skill and every ounce of
your resolve.

Klnetik’s mind bending action will
be available at all good computer

stockists soon,

Available for Spectrum, Amstrad
and Commodore -
cassette £7.95 disc £12.95

Illustration :Mark Walkinson

t's dark. All you can
see is the wall of a
high computer¬
generated cliff. As
you rotate on the
spot, you can see a
small clump of trees, which
you quickly absorb for their
energy. You can't see any
more without tilting your
head... then as you look up
you can see it, its slowly
rotating body towering over
you. All too soon its
malevolent eye turns on
you, and you start to feel
the energy being sucked
from your body. Finally, as
your consciousness blinks
out, you see the face of
your destroyer... the evil
Sentinel. Oh well, better
luck next life.

It's rare than an original
game concept comes out, so
when one appears it takes
you completely by surprise.
Sentinel is just such a game.
It's a new kind of strategy/
arcade idea, which draws
from elements common in a
range of traditional
strategy formats. It takes
place in stunning 3D
renderings of 10,000
different landscapes
through which the player
moves, (or more precisely,
teleports) in his quest to
destroy the evil Sentinel.
Yes, you must destroy him...
but the catch is that if he
sees you, he'll absorb your
energy and you're dead!

On each landscape
there's a finite amount of
energy to be had, in the
form of trees which are
dotted around the computer
generated hills and valleys
in a more or less random
way. You have to absorb
the trees to get any
goodness out of them.
Having gained a bit of
energy, you can then
project it out of your robot
body, by creating
something tangible, like
another tree, a boulder or
a fresh robot. Now, and
here comes the clever bit,
you can teleport yourself
(accompanied by a digitised
riff from a synthesiser, a
sort of Whaaanggg!) into
that new robot body and
absorb the one you just
left, and in this way you
move across the landscape.
The reason you absorb the
robot you just left is
because the amount of
energy remains constant in
the landscape — so if you

expend energy to make a
new robot, you must gain
some of that energy back
by absorbing your old
robot. As to why you need
as much energy as
possible, we'll go into that
in a minute.

Your view of the
computerised landscapes
appears as if you're
looking out of the head of
the robot. You're able to
pan round to look for the
Sentinel and, using the
crosshaired sight, orient on
and absorb trees. This may
all sound a bit easy-peasy
to you, but there's one
major point to the
gameplay which prevents
you from just scooting
around, teleporting
wherever you please and
eating every tree you can
see. You can't absorb
anything unless you can
look down on the square
the object stands on, and
that goes for boulders,
trees, your robots and even
the Sentinel itself. If you
can't see it, you can't eat it!
This can be very frustrating
if you can see the top of a
tree but can't see the
square it's standing on.

(The secret is to always go
for extra height, but we'll
get to that later!) Once
you've managed to absorb
the Sentinel and climbed up
to where he was standing
you can hyperspace to the
next level. Here's another
clever bit — depending on
the number of points you
have left when you've
absorbed the Sentinel, you
go on to a higher level. The
more points, the higher the
level. The entry code for the
level you've achieved is
displayed across the
sccreen and you type this in
when asked for it. And if
you write it down on a bit
of paper, you can go
straight to that level next
time you play and so save
yourself the worry of going
through from level one
again.

The graphics are totally
brilliant, being by far the
best 3D effect I've seen on
the Speccy, and the digi¬
tised or sampled music is
great. It sounds like that
spooky synth music you
used to get in Dr Who.
(Daaann dannn dannnnnn!
Ooooooo!) Soo-parb!

If you find this all a bit
hard to grasp, and who

To move around a Sentinel landscape, you have

to place a robot on a square, and teleport to it.
To make new robots for yourself, you have to

eat three trees! (It's okay, I know they're a bit
dry, but drink some water!) And don't forget to
absorb the robots you leave behind, 'cos if you

don't you're going to run out of energy

could blame you, don't

worry. We've constructed a

little Sentinel universe in

microcosm, from which you

should be able to draw all

the conclusions you could

possibly want. So sit back,

and we'll take you forth

into the dangerous realm

of... (deep voice) The

Sentinel!

\ PAX BOX
Gam.

Publisher....

Prke.

.£9.95

r

It's a good plan to get as much height as
possible very early on. If you start by placing
two blocks in plain sight (so you can retrieve the
robot you started in) you can gain energy very
quickly. The more energy you get, the more
boulders you can put down and then you can
get to the Sentinel!

84

Here he is, the king of the castle.
And your job (you dirty rascal), is
to topple him from his perch before
he rotates your way and spots
you. Trouble is, he's in a higher
level than you, and you need a lot
of energy before you can build
yourself up to his level. The only
way around the landscape is to
keep out of sight.

And finally, when you've avoided the Big Lad's
gaze and sneaked up on him, you can absorb
him by focussing your crosshairs on the top
surface of his pedestal and pressing 'A'. Once
you've got him you can't absorb any more
energy, so prepare yourself by absorbing as
much stuff as you can before destroying old Big
Nose.

/

nHinel can't see your feet,
(jibsorb you, but that won't
^from turning the closest
aMeanie. Meanies rotate
f er than you and can

I ce you against your will
ucan absorb them first,
you hear the low
watch out! There's a
a bout!

On some levels, from about 10
upwards, there are Sentries on
guard too! This makes it very
difficult to manoeuvre yourself into
a position where you can't be
seen, but it can be done. Just turn
360° before you begin moving, and
memorise where the Sentinel and
Sentries are so you can avoid their
steely gaze (bzzzzt!)

i

j ;

1 J

I —

I ^

n

Don't panic! Well, okay, go ahead.
If you get in a very tight spot (like
anywhere in the game, for
example) you can escape by hitting
the Hyperspace button. You should
only use this very sparingly,
because it uses a lot of energy,
and you wouldn't want to blow
yourself up by not having enough
power, would you?

Keep a weather eye out for the scanner window
in the top right of your viewer window. If it goes
fuzzy, you're being watched by a Sentinel or a
Sentry. From then on you've got about ten
seconds before your energy is sucked out
through your ear! So when you hear the fuzzy
sound and your scanner goes all snowy, get the
hell out of there!

I

, . :

mm

TTT»

owfromthe authoroftop
seller SHOGUN , James
Clavell. comes TA1 PAN and
a terrif ic computer game I

simulation packed with action and 1
^iraphics.TAl PAN is the ,

of a man and an LiM

Screen shots
taken from
Atari version.

jry ot a man ang pn r ?. —u————
island. Become Dirk Struan - a pirate, a s

a game of Grand entertainment!

Copright ©1986 James Ctavefl. Tai Pan is a registered Trademark. ©1986 de Laurentiis Entertainment Inc.

6 Central Street * Manchester v M2 5NS Tel: 061 832 6633 • Telex: 669977

alkers

COMPUTER SERVICE AND REPAIRS
BY THE SPECIALIST

Commodore 64

£32.00

Vic 20, C16, C128

Spectrum/+

£20.00

C+4&BBC

ZX81

£15.00

All £20 + Parts

Interface 1

£18.00

Interface II

£10.00

Microdrive

£15.00

All Repairs Carry 3 Months Gurantee

Also Many Spares Prices on Application
" ' £5.00

£ 10.00
£25.00
£14.00

eg Spectrum Membrane
Spectrum + Membrane
Comm 64 Power Supply
Spectrum Power Supply

All Prices Incude VA T

While-You-Wait Service or Send Computer
with Cheque to include £2.00 P&P to:—

THOMAS WALKER & SON LTD
37-41 Bissell Street,
Birmingham B5 7HR
Tel: 021-622 4475

WAVE
75.00 (A)
125.00 (A)

A MUCH BETTER DEAL - WEEK AFTER WEEK

SINCLAIR HARDWARE & SPARES rrp

SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM PLUS 48K.

SINCLAIR QL INC: 4 PROGS, MANUAL, 5 GAMES, 8 BOOKS.OVER 250 00

SINCLAIR OFFICIAL SPECTRUM UPGRADE KIT - CONVERTS RUBBER
KEYED SPECTRUM INNT0 SPECTRUM PLUS INCLUDING USER MANUAL - 22 75

ROMANTIC ROBOT MULTIFACE 1 (BACKUP & KEMPST0N J/S l/F). 39.95 34 00

R0CKF0RT THE DISCIPLE INTERFACE. 89.95 79 95

THERMAL PAPER - ALPHAC0M 32/TIMEX 2040/MATTEL AQU...B0X5 - 8 00

THERMAL PAPER - SINCLAIR ZX PRINTER.B0X5 11 95 6 00

SINCLAIR EXPANSION PACK INC: INTERFACE 1, MICRODRIVE, LEAD

DEMO CART. AND USER GUIDE. 9995 5000

LEAD - INTERFACE 1 TO SERIAL PRINTER. 8.50 4 00

MEMBRANE FOR KEYBOARD - SPECTRUM 48K RUBBER. - 2 85

RUBBER MAT FOR KEYBOARD - SPECTRUM 48K RUBBER. - 4 50

KEMPSTON CENTRONICS PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE 'E'. 39 95 34 00

KEMPST0N MOUSE INC: MOUSE, INTERFACE, OCP ART STUDIO S/W... 69.95 58 00

AMX AMS MOUSE INC: MOUSE, INTERFACE, AMX ART. 69.95 58.00

SOFTWARE

SINCLAIR MICRODRIVE CARTRIDGE.PKT5 - 9.00 (E)

PKT10 - 15.00 (E)

ASSORTED M/DRIVE PROGRAMS EX SINCLAIR WAREHOUSE.PKT60 - 60 00 (B)

WABASH DATATECH 5.25" DS/DD48TPI.PKT10 - 8 00 (D)

WABASH DATATECH 3.50" DS/DD 135TPI.BOXIO - 18 00 (D)

CF2 3" BLANK DISCS DS/DD - AMSTRAD CPC/PCW.BOXIO 49 50 22 00 (D)

ALL CURRENT CHART GAMES SOFTWARE RETAIL 25% + £1 P&P

E120 MAXELL 2HR BLANK VIDEO TAPE.BOXIO 55.90 34.00 (C)

HARDWARE

AMSTRAD PC1512 DOUBLE DRIVE MONO. 642 85 580 00 (A)

AMSTRAD PC1512 DOUBLE DRIVE COLOUR. 838 35 735 00 (A)

AMSTRAD PCW8512 INC. PRINTER, MONITOR & SOFTWARE, PLUS

FREE LINC TEACH YOURSELF LOCOSCRIPT RRP £14.95. 588.88 513 00 (A)

AMSTRAD DMP2000 PRINTER INC. FREE CABLE FOR CPC. 169.99 145.00 (B)

BBC MASTER 128. 499 90 430.00 (A)

FERGUSON 38030 12" BLACK & WHITE PORTABLE TV. 59 99 46 00 (A)

ATARI VCS2600 GAMES CONSOLE INC: 1 CARTRIDGES JOYSTICK 69.99 43.00 (C)

Send 3 18p stamps for fast moving items price lists. ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT.

Max. carr. & ins. £5 per parcel/£500. Admin. Offices, callers by appointment only.

UK carr. & ins. (A)£5.00 (B)£4.00 (C)£3.00 (D)£2.00 (E)£ 1.00 (F)50p
Despatched by return of post. Prices in this advert are valid for 14 days.

W.A.V.E. (Dept. YS687)

WALNEYAUDIO VISUAL & ELECTRICAL

53 Shearwater Crescent, Barrow-in-Furness,
Cumbria LAI 4 3JP Tel: 0229 44753

fYOUR 1

Ml

FANZINE

OF THE YEAR

And they keep on coming! Here’s the fourth
winner in the YS/T )omark Fanzine Of The Year
Gompo — it’s called Games Monitor and if you’re
not careful it’ll send you out on a cross country
run!

A phantasmagory of phantabulous phanzines is
still flowing into the YS offices, and we’ve been
amazed by the high standards on show so far.
But it’s still not too late to enter your fanzine.
There’ll be twelve winners throughout the year,
and each gets 50 smackers and a framed certificate. And
at the end of the year we’ll be choosing an overall winner
and inviting the fanzine’s production team up to the
hallowed YS offices to write a special feature! Gasp! So
stop faffing about — bung your fanzine in an envelope and
send it to The Fanzine Of The Year Compo, Your Sinclair,
14 Rathbone Place, London W1P IDE.

T his month’s winner is Games
Monitor, a 40-page A4 mag
based at Brynteg
Comprehensive School in
Bridgend, Glamorgan. The five-man
editorial team has produced eight issues
so far, although the mag’s been put on
hold for the time being as the dreaded ‘0’
levels loom. It’s very much the usual
cocktail of reviews, tips, charts,
competitions and so on, but it looks great
- especially when you consider that it’s
rattled off on an ancient Gestetner
machine at school - and it reads well
too. The team set up Games Monitor in
November 1985 as a mini-company, on a
£30 mini-enterprise grant from their
local bank. Now their school is involved,
giving them tips on running the mag at a
profit and helping with the printing.
Head Honcho on GM is Jeremy Fisk:

“The magazine is written using
Tasword on an Amstrad 6128 with
printer. Originally it was photocopied
but that proved too expensive. The
circulation has now reached about 100
as we sell it in a few local newsagents, as
well as in school. About 20 software
companies send us review copies,
though only after quite a bit of
persuasion.”

They’ve also started to add more
general features. “In Mutterings we
discuss various points with the aim of
inviting correspondence from readers.
Computer At Work is an interview with a
local firm who use computers.” If you’re
interested in getting your paws on a
copy, write to Games Monitor, 56
Merthyr Mawr Road, Bridgend, Mid-
Glamorgan CF31 3NR. It’ll cost you 35p
and a stamp.

Considering it's produced on a
Gestetner, this is a good clear cover,
with snappy cover lines (Bridgend’s
best computer mag - yeah!) and a
distinct logo. Simple bnt effective.

The Games Monitor japesters pictured
at the Microfair last year. From 1 to r
- Jeremy Fisk (Bd, 16), Nicholas
Fisk (14), Nicholas Rawlings (16),
Matthew O’Baid (16) and Stephen
Webber (16). Crazy names, crazy
gnys!

There’s obviously someone on W with
a keen eye for design, ’cos this page is
typical of the neat and imaginative look
of the whole mag. Typography’s
obviously a major interest - all the
headings are as good as this one. GM
reviews games both on first
impressions ("before”) and after
playing them for a while ("after”),
which gives an interesting perspective.
And, of course, the GAT boys know
their games.

87

Have you got hardware in the house,
software in the cellar and penpals in
the parlour? You have? Then put a free
ad in YS and get them all swopped
around.

HARDWARE

■ Interface 1, microdrive and cartridges,
Alphacom printer and paper, Fox
programmable interface, Quickshot joystick,
complete collection of software, hardware,
books and magazines, including 13 issues of
Your Spectrum. £120 the lot. Phone Jon on
(0691) 655592.

■ 48K Spectrum, software, DkTronics
keyboard, telesound, WH Smith datacorder,
joystick, interface, 22 inch colour TV, tray
with reset switch. £120 ono. Phone (0582)
411279 after 6pm and ask for Simon.

■ VTX5000 modem for sale. Very good
condition, highest offer secures. Please —
no offers of software, hard cash only! Phone
Gareth on Burscough 895412. PS Hi Squee,
Chrisso and Trace. Hawki.

■ For sale — 128K Spectrum, tape recorder,
Kempston joystick, interface, manuals, 14
inch B&W television plus games. £135 ono.
Please write to Allan, 79 Benson Road,
Keresley, Coventry CV6 2FE.

■ RamPrint printer interface with built-in
word processor and joystick port. It is two
months old and comes with its box and
instructions. Works perfectly. Worth £35, will
sell for £25. Please phone 01-969 3729 after
4pm and ask for Mark.

■ Spectrum 48K, Saga keyboard, AMX
mouse (all boxed), Currah Speech,
Kempston interface and joystick, ZX printer,
loads of software and magazines. All worth
over £600, will sell for only £300 ono. Will
split. Please phone (0727) 64824 and ask for
Edmund.

■ Very good condition Speccy 128.

Recorder — also immaculate condition.

Large range of software. All worth £500, will
sell for £130 for quick sale. Phone Nigel on
(0272) 612194 any time.

■ Microdrive, Interface 1, lightpen — all vgc.
Will swop for mouse and software or would
swop for QL hard or software, eg Centronics
printer interface. Might split. Phone Ian on
(0904) 29517.

■ Your Spectrum issues 1 to 21 complete.
Your Sinclair issues 1 to 16 complete. All in
excellent condition. Offers? Please phone
01-571 5338.

■ Currah MicroSpeech for sale, in box and
hardly used — £12. Also Trojan lightpen, as
new in box — £10. Both in vgc. Please
phone (0248) 713360 after 4pm on
weekdays and ask for Richard.

■ For sale — Spectrum-P with joystick
interface and light pen. £400 worth of
software including He-Man and Dragon’s
Lair II. Also cassette recorder. Will sell for
£150. Please phone Hordean 595756 after
4.30pm and ask for Mark.

■ DkTronics light pen for sale, boxed as
new £8-£10. Please write to Neil Horton, 3
Church Hill, Aldershot, Hampshire GU12
4JS.

■ Swop 48K Spectrum, Saga 1 keyboard,
Quickshot II and interface, ZX printer, £50
worth of software, also 16K ZX81. Please
phone Brighton 697029 and ask for Dave.

■ 48K Spectrum, Protocol 4 interface,
Quickshot joystick and 65 games including
Zoom, Alchemist and Geoff Capes. £65 ono.
Please phone (0705) 255863 after 6pm and
ask for Keith.

■ VTX5000 modem £20, RAM Turbo
interface £6, ZX printer with paper £16.
Phone (0628) 21452 after 8pm.

■ Spectrum 128+2, expansion system with
microdrive, software, Euromax joystick and
Multiface 1 — all boxed and new. £200 ono.
Phone Robert on 01-439 4685 ext 38.

■ Spectrum+, Interface 1, two microdrives,
Kempston E Centronics printerface, Toshiba
HX-P550 printer. Printer and interface only
three weeks old. Want £350 ono. Please
phone (0282) 79557 after 5pm any day.

■ 48K Spectrum, Saga 1 keyboard, Currah
Speech unit and data recorder, Cheetah
joystick and switchable interface, over £400
worth of software and lots of magazines and
books. Will sell for £160. Please phone
Gavin on Huddersfield 532956.

■ Spectrum 48K with Saga Emperor
keyboard, tape recorder, games, utilities, -
m/c books and tutorial tape — £100. For a
quick sale I’ll throw in new 20x50 binoculars
worth £50. Phone (0474) 326512, evenings
only.

■ For sale — LoProfile Spectrum with three
port Kempston Pro Interface 2, Quickshot II
joystick, data recorder and loads of games.
Will sell for £100 ono. Write to Terry Larkin, 6
Hartford Close, Meadows, Nottingham NG2
3LJ.

■ Offering a Quickshot II joystick and
Comcon programmable interface, hardly
used. Will sell together for £22, worth £32.

Or will swop for suitable software. Phone 01 -
311 6693 and ask for Karl.

■ 48K Spectrum, two cassette recorders,
Quickshot II joystick and Protek interface, 30
games and mags. £80. Phone Dartford
21558 and ask for Ian.

■ For sale — 48K Spectrum, loads of
games, on/off switch, millions of magazines
and books, leads and manuals. Worth over
£220, bargain at only £99. Phone Kapil on
01-455 3185 between 6 and 9.30pm.

■ Spectrum+ with two interfaces and
accessories and over 150 games. All for
£100. Please phone 01-903 6476 between 6
and 9pm weekdays and ask for Prajesh.

■ Spectrum 48K, two data recorders, two
Quickshot M’s, DkTronics interface, over
£350 worth of software. £260 ono. Please
write to Kersten Howard, 15 Johnson Court,
Clinton Park, Tattershall, Lines.

■ Spectrum 48K, Cambridge programmable
joystick, games and tapes. Phone Alan on
01 -954 7998 after 4.30pm with offers over
£50.

■ 128K Spectrum, recorder, RAM Turbo
interface, two joysticks, loads of games
including Starglider, Gauntlet, mags, books.
Sell for £300. Phone Nottingham 860958
after 5pm and ask for Matt.

■ Spectrum 48K — worth £75. Wafadrive
with several wafers — £35. Multiface 1 —
£25. Alphacom 32 — £15. Currah Speech —
£10. RAM Turbo interface — £15 or the lot
for £150. Phone Phil on (0625) 27484 after
6pm weekdays.

■ For sale — 48K Spectrum including
lightpen, Saga 1 keyboard and £275 worth
of games (including Cyberun, Harrier and 77
Racer). Cost £430 new, asking £120 ono.
Phone Rattlesden 327 and ask for Jeff.

■ Spectrum+ for sale with tape recorder,
printer, lightpen, interface, many games. Will
sell for £80 ono. Please write to Jonathan
Leach, 38 Fairways, Frodsham, Cheshire
WA6 7RY.

■ Rotronics wafadrive, two blank wafers,
boxed and unused. £29 ono. Phone 061-431
0506 and ask for Steven.

■ Will swop Hall Of Fame, Alchemist, Kong,
The Pyramid and many more for anything.
Phone Steve on (04868) 28491.

■ Will swop Hampstead and Hacker for any
of Hive, Infiltrator, Aliens, Elite, Xevious or
Paperboy. Write to Simon O’Hagan, 24
Littlebridge Road, Moneymore, Co Derry, N
Ireland.

SOFTWARE

■ I have Marsport, Fairlight, Night Shade,
Astro Clone, Dambusters, FGTH, Nodes Of
Yesod and Now Games 1. Swop any three
for Artist, Silent Service, Tomahawk, F-15,
Konami Hits or others — send your offers to
David Cross, 56 Green Road, Kidlington,
Oxon OX5 2EX.

■ Swop Winter Sports, Softaid, Manic Miner,
Leap Frog, Frankenstein for two business
games. Write to E Lilley, 8 Raynham
Crescent, Keighley, W Yorks BD21 2TP.

■ Will swop my Dun Darach, Action Reflex,
Movie, Ghostbusters and Zythum for your
Paperboy, Barry McGuigan’s Boxing and
Leader Board. Phone 041 -942 8047 and ask
for Jim. One for one offers acceptable.

■ Paperboy, Lightforce, 1942, Rambo,
Fairlight — all for your GAC. Write to Philip
Hall, Dolydd, Well Street, Bryngwran,
Gwynedd LL65 3PN.

■ I have many games to swop including
Elite, Glass, Pyjamarama, Empire Fights
Back, Nonterraqueous, Jet Set Willy and
Jetman. Phone Danny on (06632) 4911.

■ Swop any of Saboteur, Spy Hunter and
Movie for Green Beret, Critical Mass or
Monty On The Run. Write to Simon Fife, 8
Charlock Walk, Partington, Urmston,
Manchester M31 4FP.

■ Swop Swords And Sorcery, GAC, Psi
Chess and Dragon’s Lair for The Pawn 128K.
Write to S Whisson, 20 Cordwell Park, Wem,
Shropshire SY4 5BD.

■ Will swop Test Cricket for Monopoly,
Minder for The Young Ones, BMX Racers,
Chiller, Vegas, Jackpot, Rockman and
Election for Ghostbusters. Phone (0908)
367751 and ask for Tony after 6pm.

■ Lots of games to swop. Send your list for
mine. Reply guaranteed. Philippe Colart,

Rue des Petits Enclos 2, 6650 Basogne,
Belgium.

■ Will swop Footballer Of The Year, Winter
Games, Superleague, 3D Strategy, Print
Shop, and Handicap Golf for anything good
(not martial arts or war games). Phone Andy
on (0292) 313680.

■ Swop Eureka, Elite, Shadow Of The
Unicorn, Red Moon, Lords Of Time, Hobbit,
The Sandman Cometh for Deus Ex Machina,
Starquake, Tau Ceti, Starion, Trap Door,
Trivial Pursuit. Write to Mick Braham, 73
Boscombe Court, Letchworth, Herts SG6
1RW.

■ Swop Jack The Nipper, Back To The
Future, Impossible Mission and Saboteur for
Bored, Robin Of Sherlock, Emerald Isle and
Cyberun. One for one. Write to David
Girvan, 87 Main Street, Muirkirk, Cumnock,
Scotland KA18 3QR.

■ Will swop Ping Pong for Winter Games or
Yie Ar Kung Fu. Write to Michael Peckitt, 7
Herringthorp Avenue, Rotherham S65 3AA.

■ Software to swop — Gauntlet, Nemesis,
Top Gun, Super Cycle, Nosferatu, Fist II,
Short Circuit, Artist II, Terminus, Speed King
II, Marble Madness Construction Set, Hive,
Terra Cresta, Orbix, Xeno, Xevious. Only
want new titles in exchange. Write to Dan
Nielson, Tornskadevaenget 4, 5210 Odense
NV, Denmark.

■ Many games to swop — latest titles
include Fat Worm, Miami Vice, Knight Tyme
plus many more. Quick deals please.
Guaranteed reply. Write to Stuart Evans, 48
Hambleton Road, Norton, Malton, N Yorks
Y017 9DH.

■ Will swop Sigma 7, Winter Games and
Deep Strike for Artist or Artist II or Art
Studio. Write to D McCumiskey, 16
Martindale Close, Richmond, Whitehaven,
Cumbria CA28 8SL.

■ I have GAC, I will swop for software or for
ZX, Alphacom printer in good condition with
paper. Write to V Hallam, 27 Mansfield
Road, Eastwood, Nottingham NG16 3DY.

■ Hi Speccy fans. I’ve got over 450 games
including many latest launches to swop.
Anyone interested? For a definite reply, rush
your list to Amazing Hally, 9 Kennet,

Belgrave, Tamworth, Staffs B77 2JP.

■ Over 200 titles to swop such as Starglider,
Space Harrier, Bazooka Bill, Gauntlet. For
the full list write to Chris Hill, 339 Green
Lane, Bolton, Lancs BL3 2LU.

■ Got a Speccy? Want to swop games?

Send me your list and I will send you mine.
Phone Bath 232235 and ask for Chris.

■ I will swop Frank Bruno’s Boxing, Dukes
Of Hazzard, Football Manager, Chimera
(pick two) for Leader Board. Write to G Bell,
130 Coulpark, Alness, Ross-shire, Scotland.

■ Will swop Shadowfire, Three Weeks In
Paradise, Lightcycle, Micro Mouse and Zip-
Zap for GAC. Phone (0248) 713360 after
4pm on weekdays and ask for Richard.

■ Do you want some new software for your
computer? Well, I’ve got new and old games,
so give me a ring on 01 -399 2717 (after
4.30pm weekdays) and ask for Steven.

■ Will swop Brainache and Olli And Lissa for
either Movie or Green Beret. Please phone
me on (0604) 27685 after 4pm and ask for
Daryl.

■ Swop GAC or Lord Of The Rings for Turbo
Esprit or Kwah! Also swop Agent X for BMX
Simulator, Paperboy tor Avenger, Rock ‘n’
Wrestle for Scalextric. Phone Glenn on
(0846) 693115.

■ Will swop my Scooby Doo and Ghosts ‘n’
Goblins for your Lord Of The Rings,
complete with book and instructions. Also
will swop my Ping Pong for your Hobbit with
instructions. Please write to Gerald Rodger,
44 Glenapp Place, Pennyburn, Kilwinning,
Ayrshire KA13 6TE.

■ Will swop Sold A Million II, Xcel and
Confuzion for Durell’s Big Four. Write to
Stuart, 34 Burns Avenue, Saltcoats,

Ayrshire, Scotland KA21 6EP.

■ I have many new games that I wish to
swop with you. Send your list for mine. Write
to Johnny Granild, Sylen 9.1th, 2630
Tastrup, Denmark.

• BOOK VOUR FREE AD HERE

H you’d like to advertise in Input/Output, please write in BLOCK CAPITALS below and send
the coupon to Input/Output Y our Sinclair, 14 Rathbone Place, London W1P IDE - oh, and
don’t forget your address and phone number. We can’t accept any software sales, and this
service is only available to private advertisers.

Please enter my advert under the following classification:

□ Hardware □ Software □ Wanted □ Messages & Events □ Pen Pals

MAGAZINE HEALTH WARNING: y# IA

Think before you snip — most people use a photocopy instead. ■ m%0

88

\\\\\\\

(Ill'll

J

WANTED

■ Wanted — Hardball, Glider Rider, Elevator
Action and more for either Bobby Bearing,
Jack The Nipper, 180 or ZUB. Others
considered. Please phone (0244) 570353
and ask for Jamie.

■ Wanted — Multiface. Will swop for GAC,
Gauntlet, Scalextric, Firelord, Trivial Pursuit,
Dandy, Fairlight II, Uridium, Sam Fox, Jack
The Nipper. Phone (0706) 623975 and ask
for Paul.

■ Wanted for 48K Spectrum — machine
code assembler. Will exchange light pen and
software or exchange Currah Speech. Also
want books and mags and to join clubs, and
if anyone feels like being a penpal, please
write to G St Clair-Gunn, 24 Shankill Parade,
Belfast, N Ireland.

■ Wanted — Rotronics Wafadrive. Will swop
17 games such as Feud, Bobby Bearing,
Highlander, Uridium, Olli And Lissa, Fairlight
and Commando. Must be in good condition.
Phone 031 -333 3747 after 4pm and ask for
Ralph.

■ Wanted — Mexico ’86 by Qual-Soft
Thoughtware. Swop for Football Manager
and Spiky Harold. Also I will throw in Now
Games I. Write to David Cockayne, 87 Ogley
Road, Brownhills, Walsall, W Midlands.

■ Wanted — Seikosha GP505 printer and
interface for 48K Spectrum. Must have
manual. Will pay £40. Write to A Lloyd, 16
Heeley Road, Kettlethorpe, Wakefield, W
Yorks.

■ Can you program in machine code? If so
please help a desperate beginner. I am
confused and stuck! Write to Stephen Bailey,
8 Longwick, Caindon, Basildon, Essex SS16
5UG.

■ Wanted — 1200/300 RS232 modem.

Swop for Elite, Top Gun, Jack The Nipper,
Starion, Now Games II, Lord Of The Rings
and Cheetah joystick interface, Zoom,
Formula 1 Simulator, Speedking II,

Deltawing, Molecule Man. All worth £89.70.
Write to Sam Critchley, 28 Canonbury Road,
Islington, London N1 2HS.

■ Over 300 games to swop. I guarantee a
reply to all letters. Your list for mine. Write to
Bob, D-3 Urbanisation Sibora, Los Silos,
Tenerife.

B Cheap Spectrum wanted. Non-working
one will do if cheap enough. Any add-ons
also considered. Please phone (0287)

43858.

■ Wanted — Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Swop for Knightlore, JSWII, Gyron Arena,
Manic Miner, Lerm TU* copier. Write to John
Williams, 9 Ennerdale Drive, Halfway,

Sheffield S19 SHF.

■ Wanted — Spectrum 48K issue 3 and
Spectrum Centronics interface. Also
Memotech printer, Roms, disk drive, books,
software etc. Write to Stanley McKeown, 17
Brae Hill Parade, Belfast, N Ireland.

■ Wanted — Daley’s Decathlon or Cyclone
for Herbert’s Dummy Run or Fighting
Warrior. Also I want Glider Rider or Stainless
Steel for Xevious or Hypersports. Please
phone Paul on (0634) 717933.

■ Wanted — Alphacom 32 printer with a
couple of yards (or even metres!) of paper.

Will pay £35 if I’m feeling a bit generous.

Write quick, pronto (and even a bit sharpish)
to Ian Smith, 24 Nethercraigs Drive, Paisley
Scotland PA2 8PB. (Oh, the hills and the
heather...)

■ Wanted - VU-3D (Psion). Will swop for
one of Art-O-Matic, Screen Machine, Sprite
Machine or Paintbox. I am desperate.

Please phone (0290) 50649 and ask for
Ryan.

■ I want desperately any kind of lightpen
plus interface. I will swop Jump Challenge,

Wild West Hero, Skyranger, Alien Kill,
Alchemist, Tank Trax, Arcturus, Ah Diddums,
Whodunnit, The Code, Chuckman and
Voyage Into The Unknown. Please write to
Justin Roberton, 38 Machrie Place,

Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland KA13 6RW.

■ Wanted — Paperboy or Uridium. Swop for
any two of the following — Green Beret,

Ghosts ’n’Goblins, Frankie, 180, Starion,
Baseball, Highway Encounter. Please write
to Colin Tate, Fowberry Moor Farm, Wooler,
Northumberland NE71 6EL.

■ Swop my Gauntlet and Legend Of Kage
for your Dragon’s Lair, Way Of The Tiger,
Cop Out or Uridium. Please phone (0734)
722229 and ask for Jonathan anytime.

■ Wanted — Barry McGuigan’s Boxing. Will
swop for two of the following — Endurance,
Ghosts ’n’ Goblins, Spy Hunter, Finders
Keepers, Soul Of A Robot, Caves Of Doom
or Friday The 13th. Please write to Richard
Bedford, 64 Whitelee Road, Batley, W Yorks.

■ Gauntlet or Paperboy wanted. Will swop
for ZX printer with paper, as new with box.
Please write to Andrew Peppin, 52 The
Doves, Weymouth, Dorset PT3 5SJ.

■ Wanted — Alphacom 32 printer for £15.1
also have a ZX printer for a quick sale
Please phone (0555) 3279 after 7pm and
ask for Craig.

■ Wanted - Volex TTX 2000S teletext
adaptor. Will swop for GAC, Sold A Million
III, Rebel Planet and Turbo Esprit. Write to
James Shephard, 100 London Road,

Copford, Colchester, Essex C06 1BJ.

■ Wanted — Sinclair mini TV. Will swop for
Knight Rider, World Series Baseball, Softaid
(ten games), Jet Set Willy, Skool Daze,
Chess, Finders Keepers. The TV is urgently
wanted, please help. Write to Michael
Treacher, 230 Reginald Road, Sutton, St
Helens, Merseyside WA9 4HX.

■ Wanted - Gauntlet, Bomb Jack II,
Paperboy, Cobra and He-Man. Will swop for
Sam Fox, Goonies, WS Baseball,
Hypersports, Uridium, Firelord, Kung-Fu
Master, Rock ’n’ Wrestle. Please phone
(0203) 381334 and ask for Mark.

■ Wanted — people to swop software with. I
have loads to swop, all the latest games
Please phone (09276) 2673 and ask for
Dan.

■ Help wanted (not solution) for Knight
Tyme. Also, how can you produce and
control white noise. Suggestions gratefully
received. Please write to John Evans, 375a
Green Lanes, London N13. Ta very much.

■ Wanted, ZX 80 with manual and box. Will
swop for V, Booty, Pssst, Finders Keepers,
Vagan Attack, Arcadia, Grid Runner, Action
Biker, The Empire Fights Back, One Man
And His Droid, Computer Hits 10 and Sky
Ranger. Write to Garry Maciver, 4 Fairhill
View, Perth, Scotland PHI 1RY for details.

■ Wanted - Sinclair pocket TV. Will swop
for ten games. Choose ten from this list —
Kung-Fu Master, Ace, Commando,
Hypersports, Paperboy, 1942, Dan Dare,
Tomahawk, Green Beret, They Sold A
Million, Blue Max, Ghosts ’n’ Goblins,
Breakthru, Nightmare Rally, Frank Bruno’s
Boxing. Please phone 01-870 5458 and ask
for Alex.

■ Hi! I would like Boggit, Hulk, Robin Of
Sherlock (or Sherwood). In fact, any
adventure. Will swop if you have them.

Please write to Paul Gray, 16 Lombard Drive,
North Lodge Estate, Chester-le-Street, Co
Durham DH3 4BD.

■ Wanted — Alphacom 32, Timex 2040
thermal printer paper. Will pay £2 a roll (also
can send software list). Write to Craig
McAllister, 30 McKenna Drive, Airdrie,

Scotland ML6 0JE.

■ Wanted — Fairlight II, Firelord and
Nosferatu. Will swop for Fist II, Tarzan,

Uridium, Bomb Jack II, Shao-Lin’s Road. I
have lots more to swop. Please write to Des
Robinson, 14 Moffat Avenue, Jarrow Tyne
and Wear NE32 4HW.

■ Wanted — Sweet Talker (by Cheetah).

Must be in good condition. Will swop for The
Young Ones, Off The Hook, Winter Games
and £4. Write to Alan Walton, 11 Peel Close,
Blackburn, Lancs.

■ Wanted very desperately! World Series
Basketball. I will give you Gauntlet for it.

Please phone (03635) 649 after 8pm and
ask for Dylan.

MESSAGES,
CLUBS &
EVENTS

■ Spectacle magazine — full of reviews,
POKEs, news, compos and much more.
Send 35p and a stamp to Spectacle
Magazine, 20 Monins Road, Dover, Kent
CT17 9NX. (Now it’s even bigger and better!)

■ Quality POKEs, game cheats and
adventure hints for many top games. Send
an sae for list. Any six for 50p. Guy Taunton,
28a Woodland Road, Ellesmere Port, Wirral,
Cheshire.

■ 445 POKEs, yes 445 POKEs for over 90
different games. Only £1 inc p&p. Write to
Grant Edwards, 17 The Maltings, Kings
Langley, Herts, Now!

■ After a highly successful playtest, you can
now join the Holocaust 90 PBM. Send an
sae to Philip Beverly, 36 Chelveston Drive,
Corby, Northants NN17 2QG.

■ Want a brilliantly detailed Dan Dare map?
Just send 20p and an sae to Andrew Hilder,
Dan Dare Orders, 10 Burley Road, Felpham
Bognor Regis, W Sussex.

■ To everyone who has not yet heard from
me, please contact me as I’ve lost your
addresses. Rod Tregale, 95 Howard Avenue,
Slough, Berks SL2 1LB.

■ Do you have a problem and no-one else
can help? Does it need to be ‘terminated’?
Then contact the Terminator. Send an sae to
Claire Terry, 19 Aldermoor Avenue, Coxford,
Southampton, Hants.

■ On-Spec — a new monthly Spectrum
magazine. Send a large sae and 50p to On
Spec, 2 Fydell Court, St Neots, Cambs for
the first issue.

■ If maps, tips, POKEs and solutions are
what you want then send an sae to D
Cummings, 64 Southfields Drive,

Stanground, Peterborough PE2 8PX. (Free
map for first reply.)

■ Anyone interested in playing a PBM
football or rugby league game (state
preference)? Send an sae to Neil Moulding,
46 Park Avenue, Allerton Bywater,

Castleford, W Yorks.

■ Swedes! Spectrum Special is an idealistic
magazine that I release. Every issue costs
5kr, sending it out costs 4kr and copying it
costs even more. Write to Calle Nordlund
Barkspadev 2, 752 47 Uppsala, Sweden for
details.

■ Hiya Lee and Matthew, Brumble. Hi Coxy.
Also hello Binney (Al) and hello to everyone
in 2M1. Jeremy Moor is definitely a moron.

Oh yeah, nearly forgot - from Kylan. Byeeee.

■ Own a Spectrum? Want help with
adventures, POKEs or just generally. Also if
you can offer help on any of the above,
please write to ZX Spectrum Users United,

46 Acre Road, Middleton, Leeds LS10 4EF.

■ If you live in the London area you must
visit Burnt Oaks Watling Market, because
they have the best computer stand.

PEN PALS

You must all be terribly shy! What’s
wrong with sending in your picture —
you’re sure to get lots more replies if
everyone knows what you look like.

Don’t be bashful, get those piccies in
now! Here’s brave Lauwrence Robinson
from Holland to encourage you.

■ Male Spectrum 128 owner is looking
for a female penpal aged 14-16. If
possible, please send a picture with
your letter. I like fishing, reading,
computing and nice girls. Please write to
Lauwrence Robinson, De Eik 50,
Hellevoetsluis, 3224 TC, Holland.

■ Female penpals wanted for cool Speccy
48K user. Must be into A-ha, Duran Duran,
Wham! and shoot ’em up games. Write to
Gordon Tennant, 100 Nelson Avenue,
Howden, Livingston, W Lothian, Scotland.

■ Two respectably mad males aged 17 seek
two females for computer fun, friendship,
long stay in lunatic asylum etc. Photo
ensures ours. Please contact Stuart Boswell,
8 Danebury Crescent, Acomb, York.

■ 13 year old girl seeks fun loving male aged
13-15.1 like pop music and having fun. Send
a photo if possible. If you can afford a stamp
write to Melanie Fawcett, 1 Roe Hill Close,
Hatfield, Herts.

■ 18 year old Speccy owner seeks a 128K or
48K owner to swop games and POKEs with.
Write to Thorvald Gunnarsson, Hverfisgat
49, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland.

■ Male Spectrum owner (18) into computers
and females, seeks female into computers
and males (Makes sense, really! Ed). Please
send photos to Julian Cresswell, 18
Cranbrook Avenue, Odsal Top, Wibsley
Bradford, W Yorks.

■ 15 year old 128+2 owner with 150 games
to swop. Please include your list of games.
My games include Starglider, Uridium,

Cobra. Please write to Colin Cooper, 6
Marks Avenue, Chipping Ongar, Essex.

■ 14 year old boy wants attractive female.
Interests are Madonna and boxing ( Sounds
like Sean Penn to me. Ed). I have 200
games and a 128K+2. Please send a photo.
Write to Ste Hill, 339 Green Lane, Bolton,
Lancs BL3 2LU.

■ I am looking for a penpal. I am 13 and
would like to swop games with a male or
female of similar age. Please write to
Richard Roberts, 11 Sydenham Villas Road,
Cheltenham, Glos.

■ Hi! I’m a 14 year old female wanting
correspondance with male Spectrum owners
aged 13 to 16. Please write to Jean, 85
Belgrave Road, Darwen, Lancs BB3 2SF.

■ Hi! I’m a Swedish girl (15) who would like
some penpals aged 14+. My interests are
computing, music, sports, travelling. Grab
your pen and paper and write to Marie
Nilsson, Bakverksvagen 4, Vasteras, 724 76
Sweden.

■ Female Speccy owner wants male Speccy
owner to swop games, tips and things,
preferably aged between 15 and 19.1 have
loads of games to swop. Please write to
Stephenie, 90 Lloyd Street, Heaton Norris,
Stockport, Cheshire.

■ 16 year old male Speccy owner seeks
male or female penpal aged 14 to 17 years
old. I have over 300 games including Bomb
Jack II, Grange Hill, Fist II and Krakout. I
also like Karate and swimming. Darren
Ewing, 8 Radnor Drive, Wallasey,

Merseyside L45 7PT.

■ 12 year old male looking for male Speccy
owner of similar age. Photo appreciated.
Please write to Patrick Morgan, 324
Gladstone Road, Barry, S Glamorgan,

Wales.

■ Lonely 12 year old boy looking for a 12
year old female penpal. I am interested in
computers and have over 200 games to
swop. Guaranteed answer to any letters.

Please write to David Daniels, 26 Shirley
Road, Croydon, Surrey.

■ Two male computer whizz kids, 13 and 15,
looking for girls of the same age or older
who are into Speccies, pop, films and a
good laugh. Write to Steven Harbert, 39
Porter Road, Long Stratton, Norwich, Norfolk
NR 15 2TY.

B I m 15 years old and I’m looking for a male
or female penpal. I have lots of computer
games and I like most sports. Please write to
Peter Dawson, 53 Fairmead Road, Moreton
Wirral, Merseyside L46 8TU.

■ I’m looking for a male penpal aged 14 to
16.1 like Five Star and lots of other groups. I
love doing sporting things. I own a
Spectrum+ and have lots of games. Please
write, as I would love to have a penpal who
lives anywhere. Please send a photo if you
have one. Write to Michelle Allen, 35 Garry
Drive, Foxbar, Paisley, Scotland PA2 9BX.

■ Female Speccy owner, 15+, wanted for
scribal relationship. Love Foot’, Mis’, Triv’
and the Nols’ (well... sometimes). Swop the
usual, photo if possible. John Evans, 375a
Green Lanes, London N13 4TY.

■ 14 year old male seeks male or female
penpal to swop games, POKEs, hints and
tips. I have over 400 games. Please write to
Nisse Johansson, Svartbyn 5170, 96140
Boden, Sweden.

■ I would like a male Speccy beginner as a
penpal, aged 12 or 13. Willing to swop
games. Have you got Durell’s Big 4,

Codename Mat and lots more? Well, I have,
so get writing to Norton Dowthwaite, 26
Maes Refail Henryd, Conwy, Gwynedd LL32

■ Sick, nasty, Bambi, time etc. If you
understand what the ruddy heck I’m talking
about and want to swop 48/128K games,
please write to A Dyson, 60 Minerva Close,
Latchford, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 2XN.

Dosi^ne^Da^relfKiYigtEditorial AssIstent^ngeia^Eaqe'rtlontributors'ra^hsrd R!' 0 <,U r t h 0 n rf <,i ^ r ^ ara r? i99S: Sta " Write ' Berkmann;
Mono® Rick Robson, Mischa Welsh Adv^ M ' ke G f"ard Ian Hoare, ZZKJ, Tony Lee, John

written consent of the publishers. Yoursinclaini a monthly pZcZn Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the

89

Meet the
printer

interface

with a gift

for words.

Before you buy a printer interface, it's worth
thinking ahead.One day,you'll probably want to write
someone a letter. Draft an essay. Or create a report.

With RamPrint, it couldn't be simpler.

RamPrint gives you a powerful interface to the
huge range of popular Centronics printers.

It's also the only interface with RamWrite
'Instant Access' word processing built in.

Plug in a printer and you're ready to create,
edit and save professional-looking documents,
quickly and easily.

The RamWrite program uses 'Instant Access' so
there's no software to load, and takes none of the
computer's precious memory. In fact, it's the
simplest way to write a letter on the Spectrum.

The cost: just £54.95 (cheaper than buying an
interface and software separately). We've included
the printer cable-and even a joystick port so you
can play games without unplugging.

To get your hands on one, simply fill in the
coupon. Whichever way you look at it, it's a gift.

at

■? y»u

« 'ittyntiek. part: or, t*« f,.
Th<? < tm 2y is

St-ilt, if T Smr'i'fcN it f

fm-

Ham Electronics (Fleet) Ltd, Unit 16, Redfields Industrial Park, Hedlield Lane,
Church Crookhani, Aldershot, Hants GUto ORE. Telephone: (0232) 830085.

Please rush me RamPrint for the Spectrum. Remittance £34.95
4* £l p&p (£3 Overseas) TOTAL £35.93. □ I enclose a cheque/
postal order □ Charge my Access/Visa.

□

NAME

I

I

Expiry Date

/ /

ADDRESS

POSTCODE

TEL:

24 hour despatch for postal orders and credit cards (7 days for cheques).
RamPrint is fully compatible with the Spectrum, Spectrum Plus, 128
and Sinclair Microdrives.

Ham Electronics (Fleet) Ltd, Dept (VS }, Unit 16, Redfields Industrial Park,
ftedfield Lane, Church Crookhani, Aldershot, Hants 01115 ORE.

t

MONTY

Gremlin/£7.95

Marcus What? Auf
Wiedersehen? Or is this merely
Au Revoir? Whichever the
case, it’s certainly not Bog Off,
’cos Gremlin has kept up the
Monty tradition and put
together a really top hole multi¬
screen platform game.

So what’s the latest? As you
may remember from our
preview in the March issue,
Monty’s done a runner and has
holed himself up in Gibraltar.

But Intermole are on his trail,
so unless he finds a solution
quick, serious chokey is 3-1 on
as his likely fate. Monty’s no
mug — all he wants out of life
are peace and quiet plus a
steady income and a harem of
luscious molettes obeying his
every whim. What blue-
blooded mole wouldn’t?

Monty’s only chance is to rush
around Europe blagging
enough money to let him buy
the legendary Greek island of
Montoss, where he can settle
down far away from Plod and
extradition treaties. And he
needs your help...

Of course Europe’s changed

Here we are on one of the
later screens, not far In
fact from your destination,
the isle of Montoss. Odd,
isn’t it, the way that
Olympus, home of the
Gods, is decorated with
cheesy bathroom tiles?

a bit since you went on holiday
last year. Then it had streets,
towns, rivers, that kind of thing.
Now it’s chock full of platforms
and ladders, which is just as
well for Monty since this is the
environment he knows and
loves best. As well as picking
up travellers cheques along the
way (people are so careless),
Monty also finds all sorts of
items that will help him get out
of all sorts of bother. Italy in
particular is a very dangerous
place to venture if you don’t go
prepared. At Pisa Juliet is far
from being the sensitive flower
she’s always been painted as
— she’ll need mollifying with a
suitable gift. And talking about
paintings, remember what
happens to you if you don’t give
de Mafia what dey want.

Piaow!! Thud. And a concrete
coffin.

Every Monty game introduces
some new element to the
mole’s behaviour and Auf
Wiedersehen Monty is no
exception. Somersaulting’s
clearly out of fashion — dahling
wahling, ballet’s in now.

Monty’s graceful leap is a

This represents the Airport
and so a short cut to
another country. Each of
these takes you to one
place and one only - you’ll
find out by trial and error.
Make sure the Airport
symbol is blue, or else it
won’t work!

marvellous bit of animation, as
is his pirouette when he uses
one of the new springy
platforms. Eat your heart out,
Baryshnikov! (Bless you! Ed).

Monty also spends much of
his time suspended from
suction pads on ceilings — a
useful device when there’s no
floor to speak of and you can’t
swim. Watch out too for bottles
of glug — they give you not
only points but a hangover too,
and their effect is not always
predictable. Vital for success
are the air tickets littered
around the place — these let
Monty fly from one airport to
another and cut out many of
the more awkward screens.
When you’re flying you can
nibble the backs of the other
planes for lots of extra points.

There is of course loads
more. Much of the fun of the
Monty games is finding it all out
for yourself, so I won’t tell you
about the Danish bacon,
Gorbachev’s head or the dodgy
lift. But as you’d expect, the
game’s littered with the sort of
visual puns and japes the
Gremlin gagsters are famous
for, and should you get that far,
you’ll enjoy every one of ’em.

It’s hard to believe that this is
the mole’s last outing, but if so
this is a worthy send-off. (PS
For an early laff, wait a couple
of minutes on the options
screen before you start and
see what the two Montys get
up to!)

I Graphics ■ ■■■!

Playability ■ ■■■(

Value for Money ■ ■ ■ ■ |

I Addictiveness |||||

When the brick in the
backgrounds is not as
other brick, there’s usually
something afoot. In this
case you can burrow
through it, making it
possible to get into the
screen this way, and also
to get that travellers
cheque in the corner. Fab,
eh?

People do drop their dosh
in the daftest of places,
don’t they? You’ll need to
collect an awful lot of these
before you can afford even
a grain of sand on
Montoss, so get every one m
going.

Here’s your ticket to ride -
in fact it’s such a cheapo
air company you’ve got to
fly the crate as well! You’ve
got two tickets at the
moment, and you can only
carry four things, so it may „
not be worth picking one
up this time through.

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•••and the race isn't
over yet! They're
pounding up to the
finish now...

YS Seal Of Approval

All games reviewed in
Screenshots are finished
products.

91

Only the honourable mill
Survive the bloody eonfliet of

In an age in which honour was revered, from a time when grace and beauty were virtues, a class of warriors set
themselves apart to dedicate their lives to a perfection in combat that in itself was an artform, to a discipline of
mind that became a religion. The attaining of such excellence required an extraordinary diligence in selfdenial
and training in order to achieve the ultimate accolade ‘War Lord’. Kendo, Karate and Anally Samurai are the
tests that must be mastered before such honour can be bestowed.

t $
& «
* <

Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd.,
Alpha House, 10 Carver Street, Sheffield
Tel: 0742 753423

Amstrad £9.99 tape, £14.99 disk
CBM64/128 £9.99 tape. £14.99 disk
Spectrum £7.99 tape

gSSSBSK

STARRUNNER

Code Masters/£1.99

Marcus Here’s one from the
cheap and cheerful
department, a brisk little
number from Code Masters.
Written by Christian Urquhart,
co-programmer of Daley
Thompson’s Decathlon, Star
Runner also has an athletic
theme, but there ain’t no joystick
juggling to run screaming from
here, thank de Lawd! It’s 2087,
as you might imagine, and
you’re running for your planet in
the interstellar Olympics
(strordinary!) But they’ve junked
the dear old Marathon (a fistful
of peanuts in every bite) and
instead you have to enter the
fiendish Star Running event.
What it all amounts to is a sort of
cross between Shockway Rider
and Zaxxon, a race against the
clock through twelve levels of a
viciously hard obstacle-strewn
course.

Your runner, a curious little
chap in a cloth cap, beetles
along at a rare old pace, and the
skill lies in dodging the hazards
and getting through each level
with time to spare. There’s
certainly room to manoeuvre,

with five lanes to weave in and
out of throughout the course.
Hazards include fire pits, which
turn on and off and when active
can send you back to the start of
that screen, high resistance
surfaces which slow you down,
numerous aliens fizzing around
banging into you and all sorts of
other things to trip over. Worst of
all, though, are the teleport
pads which bung you back two
or three screens and almost
certainly doom you to failure.

It’s all clever, simple and well
executed and I’m a fan! You’ll
need a good memory — too
many of the hazards are
unavoidable unless you’ve
remembered they’re coming up
and nipped into another lane
accordingly. But that’s the
learning curve, innit? If you like
Shockway Rider, it’s my guess
you’ll go for Star Runner as well.
And what more can you say
about a game that’ll set you
back only £1.99?

I Graphics ■■■■■■■■□□

Playability ■■■■■■■■□□

-Value for Money ■■■■■■■■■ □
I Addictiveness ■■■■■■■□□□

8

Mastertronic/£1.99

John This ain’t that bad a
game, you know! You are in
control of Sydney, a likeable if
lost, robot. There he was, flying
along, when whaddayaknow?
The darn plane crashed and
dumped him unceremoniously
into who knows where. All
Sydney has to do to get out is
find the radio that was in his
plane and switch it on. There
you go, simple isn’t it? Once
the radio is on, sending out its
SOS message (hence the title),
little Syd can be collected and
returned to base. This means
he’ll save Geoff Foley’s skin
(strange idea, the author
writing himself into his game as
a side character) and large
numbers of blue drinking
vouchers for the Government!

The display is of the three
quarter view, or isometric

(technical term for on the
skew) type and you use the
joystick to manoeuvre Syd
around. It’s almost an arcade
adventure style gameplay, in
that you have to gather various
objects and use them to
manipulate other objects. For
example, using a disk helps
you mess up computers which
block the way. So, you have to
find and collect the disk first.
The bottom of the screen
shows the items you’ve
gathered plus the amount of
energy remaining, current
score, and the number of lives
left.

It is, plainly put, a good
game and well worth the
money spent. The gameplay is
sufficiently tricky to keep you at
it, and the graphics are funny,
as suits the tone of the game. It
strikes me as the sort of game
that if the box had been bigger,
and the scenario around it
more convoluted, it could easily
pass for a full price game.

Try it! It doesn’t take too long
to load, and it doesn’t take a
university degree to under¬
stand the rules. Save Our Syd!

I Graphics

Playability ■■■■■■■■□□

-Value for Money ■■■■■■■■□ □

| Addictiveness ■■■■■■■■□□!_

Code Masters/£1.99

Tommy Code Masters’ one-company campaign to revitalise the
platform game has certainly had its moments, but this ain’t one of
them. Vampird s another attempt at the Dracula legend, but this
time transferred lock stock and laser bolts to the 30th century,
when the thirsty Count has somehow managed to take over the
world. You are Brok the Brave, as played by Peter Cushing, I
imagine. Dumped in the count’s castle, it’s up to you to fight past
all the various nasties, pick up crucial objects like keys, crosses
and stakes, and finally knock off Dracula to save the world. All fine
and dandy, except that to do this you have to play a multi-
screener of stultifying boredom and breathtaking unoriginality. It’s
slow, flickery and prone to crash at any moment, and everything
about it is at best third-hand — the sprites, the gameplay, the
screens, the lot.

So my main question is, what is Vampire doing in the charts at
number 10 this month? Has the world gone mad? Code Masters
can do so much better — ^ .

so why is it bunging out tat like
this? Count Drac would turn in
his grave.

I Graphics
Playability
_ Value for Money I
| Addictiveness I

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93

GUN RUNNER

Hewson/£7.95

Marcus Millions of years ago,
when earth was just a cooling
blob of molten custard (or was
it Angel Delight? Science was
never my strong point) the
people of the planet Zero had a

spot of local difficulty.

Living below their planet
surface (it was a bit nippy
upstairs — ice age and all that)
they were prone to attack by
the less than chummy
Destrovians, who wished to

blag their plutonium. Teams of
saboteurs would disrupt the
outer networks of tubes and
piping (which carried the
plutonium to the heating
plants) and the Zeronians
faced a chilly future.

Heroes had tried in the past,
of course, to rid the pipeworks
of their alien invaders — what
else are heroes for? — but they
hadn’t lasted long. The Zero
High Council was desperate.

So desperate, in fact, that they
chose you to have a go. You
made your will, kissed your
wife and 43 small children
goodbye, and off you went,
facing almost certain doom...

But what a doom! Ten
scrolling networks of pipes,
tubes and hi-tech knick-
knacks! Lethal formations of
flying aliens stinging you in the
heretofores and wherewithals!
Yup, we’re in Shoot ’Em Up
Land, that curious country
where bullets never run out,
bombs can be dodged and the

aliens’ idea of strategy is flying

y<

at you in a straight line. Gun

yc

it’

Runner is a fine example of the

species, combining elements
of Cobra and Uridium to

th

excellent effect.

to

The course runs from left to

sc

right, although the Destrovians

ot

come in both directions. Your

d<

target on each level is a tower

al

to the far right — if you regain

w

control of that the level is

th

yours. On the way you can pick

W

up several pieces of

wl

equipment. The Multifire gun
blasts faster and in three

ar

directions, while Poison is Gun

to

Runner’s smart bomb

ar

equivalent. A Jet Pack lets you

U

fly around the screen for a brief

sc

period, and a Shield protects

ef

you from everything for an

sf-

even shorter time. If you’re not

Pc

shielded, you’ll lose any

at

equipment you’ve picked up if
you hit a Destrovian — if you

he

n

have no equipment, of course,

you’re deaded.

V

The Destrovians themselves

L

S MAGM AX - HOT FROM THE ARCADES. GET SHARP
1 OR YOU'RE DEAD! BUILD UP THIS MEAN MACHINE TO
ITS AWESOME FIRE POWER TO STAND ANY CHANCE
! OF COMPLETING YOUR TASK. STUNNING

GRAPHICS AND LIGHTNING GAME-PLAY , mr
TEST YOUR REFLEXES AND 4^16

SHARP- SHOOTING - ^ M fmSSalii

iO THE LIMITS. TAKE ON
MAGMAX - IT'S A KILLER £7.95

attack usually in fours (if you
knock some off, the survivors
have another go) and in any of
several formations. Some are
slow enough to be picked off
almost at your leisure, but
others, randomly it would
seem, are viciously fast, and if
you’re facing the wrong way
you have no chance. Certainly
it’s these megaswift attacks
that always cause my downfall.

Other bits and bobs for you
to blast are the Destrovians’
scanning orbs, which are
otherwise harmless, and
domes which contain the
aliens’ supplies. Be careful
what you do with these ’cos
they’re often booby-trapped.
Watch out also for bombs,
which just have to be dodged,
and bits of broken pipework.

It’s all been neatly put
together by Christian Urquhart
and Mike Smith. In these post-
Uridium days Gun Runner is
scarcely original, but it’s a fast,
efficient and by no means easy
shooter which Cobra fans
particularly should take a look
at. And at least there aren’t any
hamburgers!

■ Graphics ■■■!

Playability ■■■!

b Value for Money ■ ■ ■ |
dictiveness III I

I

I □□□

I

I

ARMY MOVES - YOU ARE ONE OF
THE ELITE - A HANDPICKED, CRACK
TROOPER IN BATTLE AGAINST A
FORMIDABLE ENEMY. YOU'LL NEED
ALL YOUR SKILL TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF EVERY SITUATION
STAMINA TO KEEP ON GOING
WHERE OTHERS WOULD FAIL AND
COURAGE TO FACE THE CEASELESS
BOMBARDMENT BY ENEMY TROOPS
HELICOPTERS AND ARTILLERY AND '
IF YOU SURVIVE ARMY MOVES
YOU'LL HAVE SOME GREAT TALES
TO TELL! £7.95

ARKANOID - THE BLOCKBUSTER! SCREEN AFTER
SCREEN OF ONE OF THE MOST ADDIDICTIVE ARCADE

GAMES EVER! IT'S TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL f||

>w WITH SHARP GRAPHICS AND PLAY FEATURES ^
SUCH AS LAZERS, CATCH AND HOLD, ELONGATOR AND
MUCH, MUCH, MORE. THIS IS ARKANOID - THE REAL THING! £7.95

■ rxfl

SPORTS

Advance/£8.95

Marcus This collection of four
indoor activities has been
converted from an American
C64 original, and it’s got that
touch of class that Yanks pay
through the nose for. Air
hockey is the only one of the
four you won’t have seen
before on a Speccy, but all four
are worth more than a cursory
Dewhursts.

Of the four, air hockey is in
fact the most spectacular.
Cosmopolitan YS readers may
have encountered the real
thing on their travels overseas
(darling warling!) — it’s an
amazing game in which you
smash a puck around an
almost frictionless table hoping
beyond hope that it will
somehow rebound into your
opponent’s goal rather than
yours. Even when played by
hopeless cretins it’s
astonishingly fast, and by some
miracle of programming
Advance has managed to
duplicate it superbly. Not only
is it faster on screen than you’d
have thought possible, but the
puck’s been animated as well
— as it flies around it gets
larger or smaller depending on
which end of the table it’s at.
Wo wee! You’ve also got a
choice of three game speeds
(beginner, normal and
hyperdrive) and four levels of
computer opponent (easy up to
pro). A pro opponent on hyper¬
drive is well nigh impossible to
beat.

After air hockey, rather more
familiar territory — darts. Won
hondred a NIGHT-ie! we all cry,
right on cue. Well, it’s an
interesting variation on what, in
Speccy terms, is now an
almost prehistoric theme.

Mastertronic’s 180 did it best,
of course, and this isn’t quite as
much fun (for one thing it’s
harder), but it’s a worthy
attempt. You even get to see
yourself (or a fat animated
representation) chucking the
arrer at the board.

Third, ping pong. Ah so,
honourable Chinese sphere
swipers, for here’s your chance
to shine at the game the
inscrutables have made their
own. Again, we’ve seen this
once or twice on the Speccy
before, but the Indoor Sports
version’s as good as any. For
one thing, you can choose
between ‘auto move’, which
puts your bat in exactly the
right spot, leaving you only to
time the shot perfectly (not a
doddle), or ‘manual mode’
which is evil. Ah, decisions,
decisions. The animation’s
smoother than Bob Monkhouse,
and the little flipping motion
you use when hitting the ball is
a neat touch.

Finally, there’s ten pin
bowling, and another splendid
conversion. Well timed, too,
after US Gold’s 10th Frame,
which I thought rather
disappointing. This is much
more the ticket. Four skill levels
as ever, and nine choices of
ball weight (!) make the menu
screen a test in itself. The
game then involves much more
than taking your finger off the
fire button at the right moment.
Positioning your player, aiming
the ball and then swerving it at
the last moment in order to
make up for getting the first two
wrong all make for an
interesting challenge, needing
the skill and judgement that
come only with practice.

In all, then, Indoor Sports is a

From the oche to the hockey, there’s always something to
think about in Indoor Sports. This is the air hockey, and you
won’t have much time to think before the puck flies at
5000000000 mph into your goal. The only consolation - your
computer opponent’s no better!

Here’s Barry in a stylish creation by Mr Ronald of Bond Street, the
two-piece "Retina Scraper” track suit. Watch how Barry
elegantly lets go of the ball, powerfully yet gracefully, with just
enough twist and spin to send him and the ball flying towards the
pins. This gives Barry two chances at the pins for each ball, as
well as multiple lacerations and a groin strain.

surprisingly thoughtful and
skilful compendium of games,
of which certainly two could
stand on their own. What with
World Games, it’s been a good
couple of months for sports sim
fans, and this is definitely one

to add to your collection. I’ll
sithee!

I Graphics ■■■■■■BBDD

"Playability ■■■■■■■■□□

Value for Money ■■■■■■■■■ □
^Addictiveness ■■■■■■■■□□

8

TOMB OF SYRINX

The Power House/£1.99

Tony If it wasn’t for the fact that The Power House is the new
budget label from CRL, I would swear on my aardvark’s life that
this was an old game that had been hanging around for years. It
has the same style of graphics as the old 16K games, and the
screen scrolls jerkily, two spaces at a time, so that you have no
idea what’s ahead and you die — very quickly.

The idea is to collect five keys. If you don’t get killed, mangled
or mutilated in the process, you’re lucky. The nasties you meet are
nigh-on invincible, needing hit after hit to be disposed of, and they
cunningly appear out of nowhere, usually exactly where you’re
standing. At one point I stepped on one (well, I think \ stepped on
one, if I didn’t...), lost all my lives in one fell swoop and the game
crashed, leaving me with an empty screen. Yep, folks, Bernie the
Bug strikes again!

A free audio recording has been added to the game, for some
strange reason. As far as I could tell, this sounded like two cats —
one being throttled and the other being forcibly fed through a
mangle. Not a pretty sound, and unnecessary as far as the
game’s concerned.

Come on CRL! With Mastertronic, Firebird and Codemasters
producing some high quality
budget games, this doesn’t have
a chance. Any more like this and
they’ll be sealing your tomb!

I Graphics I

Playability |

Value for Money I
I Addictiveness I

■■■□□□□□

■□□□□□□□

■■□□□□□□

96

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YOUR SINCLAIR DOES NOT
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SPECTRUM

REPAIRS

From £9.00 to a
maximum £17.00

Simply enclose a cheque
for the maximum amount
and we will return your
repaired Spectrum with a
cheque for the balance.

MG Computer Services
85/87 St Johns Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN4 9TU
0892 43433

007 SUPERFILE 2

and

LISTFILE 3

Over 200 sold after demos at a Comp show

SUPERFILE can hold up to 500 name/address
Records and finds any one in under one
second. Fast machine-code SEARCH, ALPHA
SORTs, etc. Prints as FILES or LABELS. Print
by SEARCH, Sort or String.

LISTFILE holds 1,000 single line Records.
Ideal for a list of your games, etc. Fast
machine code SEARCH, SORT, RENUMBER.
BOTH on one tape and can auto transfer them¬
selves onto OPUS or MICRODRIVE.

Spectrum 48/128. £6.95

Overseas: Europe +£1. Elsewhere + £2.

G. A. BOBKER. ZX-GUARANTEED IDept YS)
29 Chadderton Drive. Unsworth. Bury. Lancs.

48K/128K Spectrum Utilities

DATABASE II £5 .95p

l S? fil , in . 9 sys,em ,or an V 48K/128K Spectrum. The program can be
^ aps ? ute novice yet offers the advanced features of products
SSI fSr SSS "T S ,he pr ! ce - DATABASE II is written entirely in Machine
af. d and . com P aotnes s You may define up to 20 fields per record,
perform data searches, sort, print via Interface 1 and view your data on a 64

rnmmanH wVr" “S? ° f COlour is availab,e using the* ‘Screen Edftor 1
YnMwmJ 0 ^r 0 b f heve thls J? P rob t b,y the sim P lest database program to use.
You will be creating your files within minutes of loading DATABASE II The
^manual js clearly written^and even^off ers advice on file design.

MULTILOAD “~£7.95d~

IS £ ^lly automatic, menu driven utility which will load your own cassette
of t hefol lowing^ enS ' Ve commercial P ro 9 rams. It will provide any combination

Anti-Break option
Pulsating(Jerky leaders
Multi-coloured loading border
No loading border
Choice of 7 loading speeds
Reverse loading SCREENS
Side loading SCREENS
Diagonal loading SCREENS

Amaze your friends by creating
sophisticated loading routes for
your own programs. Existing
commercial programs could also
be customized with a little
programming experience and the
help of CODE SLICER 2.

CODE SLICER 2 £ 5 .50p'

! s an ?M V v n< : ed ca 5?, ette handling utility which will read ANY section of a tape
' n J? J. s . t ? re . address. You can read tapes created at any of 7 different
speeds list invisible Basic programs, remove the ‘auto-run’ if required split
large files into sections, remove SCREENSs, list the size of headerless’files
etc., etc. Many examples are shown in the instruction manual for disk and
_\^^o£r^^ransfers_and_generaI hacking.

KWIKOAD2 £6 95d“

will convert your 48K cassette to load at 8 different speeds with a potential
saving of 4 times the normal loading time. No additional hardware is necessary
and a converted program loads independent of the KWIKLOAD tape
Additional routines and instructions are provided for people with
programming experience to convert 128K programs

Overseas customers please send cheques/payment in Sterling and
include an additional 70p for Surface Mail or £2.00 for Air Mail.

FOPRAITS SOFTWARE (YS)

32 Gladstone Road, Hockley, Essex SS5 4BT
Tel: (0702) 201368
Large SAE for details

BOX CLEVER WITH

and WIN WIN WIN
B0XF0RM for the flat. The only Spectrum
program that analyses the form book. Displays
records of 1,000's of horses covering 3
years form. See at a glance a horses going,
course and distance requirements and the time
of year it is at its best.

Race summary shows the horse "best in at
the weights".

Can also be used to adjust a private handicap
for weight and age.

FOOTBALL B0XF0RM analyses football
form. Now includes non-league sides, the only
program to do so.

£12 each program or £20 for both
BOXOFT (DEPT Y)

65 ALLANS MEADOW, NESTON,
SOUTH WIRRAL L64 9SQ

FAST COMPUTER REPAIR
CENTRE - IN LONDON

★ BBC Micro, Commodore, Spectrum

★ Amstrad, Others
* We sell spare parts

★ Used Micros bought and sold

★ Eprom Programming Service

phone 01-863 7166

PROMPT ELECTRONICS

Unit 4, 15 Springfield Road,
Harrow, Middx. HA1 1QF

(entrance in Amersham Road)

SPECTRUM REPAIRS

A Better Deal from Micro-World

POWER SUPPLIES (Spectrum/Plus)
KEYBOARD — REPLACEMENT
(Not just a repair) (Mat, Membrane & Plate)
Makes your Spectrum look like new
ALL OTHER FAULTS SPECTRUM/PLUS
KEYBOARD REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR
SAGA EMPEROR ONE KEYBOARD
inc. fitting

SAGA EMPEROR ONE KEYBOARD
AND REPAIR

16-48K UPGRADE (12 months Warranty)
(Issues 2 and 3)

CHEETAH 32K RAM PACK
ZX - INTERFACE I - REPAIR
ZX - MICRODRIVE - REPAIR
ZX - PRINTER - REPAIR

• Prices fully inclusive of VAT &

Insured Return P&P

• 48hrturn round on most machines

• 3 months warranty on repairs

• Send SPECTRUM ONLY suitably packed clearly stating
fault, your name & address, cheque or postal order to:

Micro-World Computers (YS)

25 Hill Top Road. Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5ES
telephone: (Day) 0484-846117 (Evening) 0484-845587
Showroom:

1006/1010 Manchester Road. Linthwaite. Huddersfield HD7 5QQ
Open 9 to 5.30, 6 days

BRADWAY SOFTWARE (YS)

!SI?.‘| H ! A <? PLUS The m0S , t versatile S P ectrum utilit V for designing and printinq business and

SBSSSSSaSsFas^w

pps=s= : 5sEEsasassr

density screendumps, anywhere in RAM! Price less than Ip per dump" £8 50 P d

addressing envelopes, filling in forms or writing short notes Price £8 50 < P e o tor

.*

information, Examine, modify and recover damaged data. Price £10.50 on 3disc only V

33 Conalan Avenue, Sheffield SI 7 4PG

'spectrum 1^/40/4-/120K AMD COMMODORE

RE 64/I28K SOFTWARE^ LIBRARY|}

BORED HITH PLAYING THE BANE OLD GAMES 7 JUST LOOK AT
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KOBRAHSOFT SPECTRUM 48K/128K UTILITIES

SD3 ADVANCED TAPE TO M/D UTILITY: Transfer even the latest programs, e.g. "FIST", "BOMBJACK" also the latest
Pulsed Leader programs, e.g. "BATMAN", "WINTER GAMES". FULL manual, PLUS Disassembler, PLUS FREE Header
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SHARP SHOOTER: 100% machine code multiscreen game, superb graphics and soun^, many superb features, hours of
fun. Price: £7.95 (inc. p&p).

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SL3 ADVANCED SPEEDLOAOER: Converts most programs to Fast Loaders with a choice of SIX loading speeds, Multi¬
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SUPER INTERFACE FL1: A superb interface which converts almost ANY program to reload at any one of FIVE speeds as
a Fast Loader - AUTOMATICALLY! Programs reload independently of FL1. Price: £24.95 (inc. p&p).

SUPER INTERFACE M01: This interface converts programs to microdrive fully AUTOMATICALLY. COMPACTS code -
gives TWO LONG programs per cartridge! Programs reload independently of MD1. Price: £24.95 (inc. p&p).

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Stars on 128 & ♦2

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7.95

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9.95 7.25

Fist 2

8.95 6.50

Inheritance

9.95

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14.95 11.95

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9.95 7.25

1942

*7.95

5.50

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7.95 5.50

Future Knight

7.95 5.50

The Eagles Nest

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9.95 6.95

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*7.95 5.50

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14.95 11.95

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*7.95

5.50

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7.95 5.50

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7.95 5.95

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9.95

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*14.95 11.95

Footballer/Year

7.95 5.50

Hit Pak

*995

695

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7.95 5.50

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9.95

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Star Games One

9.99 7.25

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*8.95 6.50

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7.95 5.50

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Impossaball

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8.95 6.50

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Best Beyond

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8.99 6.95

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14 95 11.95

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9.95

6.95

Arkanoid

7.95 5.50

Headcoach

8.95 6.50

Super Soccer

*7.95

5.50

Xevious

7.95 5.50

Space Harrier

*7.95 5.50

Durell's Big 4

*9.95

6.95

Nosferatu

9.95 6.95

Ninja Master

1.99 1.90

Uchi Marta

8.95

6.50

Indoor Sports

*8.95 6.50

Shao Lins Road

7.95 5.50

Jewels Darkness

14.95 11.95

Ace

9.95 7.25

Koniams Golf

7.95 5.50

- BUY WITH CONFIDENCE FROM US!

Send cheque/PO to: KOBRAHSOFT, Pleasant View, Hulme Lane, Hulme, Nr. Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST3 5BH
(overseas, Europe add £1 p&p PER ITEM, others £2). Send s.a.e. for FULLY DETAILED catalogue of ALL our products —
please mark envelope "ENQUIRY".

This is just a small selection from our stocks. Please ring for more details. P&P included. Overseas orders add 75p
per tape. For up-to-date lists please enclose S.A.E. mail order only. Please send cheques/PO payable to C.P.S. Visa/Access

n

orders welcome by phone.

CUT PRICE SOFTWARE (DEPT. 6),

Unit 6, Stort House, Riverway, Harlow, Essex CM20 2DW

Tel: (0279) 24433 (24 hr ansaphone)' or (0279) 31956

SPECTRUM REPAIRS

We expertly repair Spectrums for £17
inclusive of parts and labour and return
postage.

AVIS DE RECHERCHE

Qui? public FRANCAIS et FRANCOPHONE .Ou? du MONDE ENTIER
Signe particulier:

POSSESSEUR DE SPECTRUM ou QL

CONTACTEZ NOUS DE TOUTE URGENCE

Nous stockons TOUTE la gamme de:

LOGICIELS PERIPHERIQUES ACCESSOIRES et PIECES DETACHEES

pour SPECTRUM et QL

Spectrums upgraded 48K for £34.
Keyboard faults only £1.2.

R.A. ELECTRONICS
133 London Road
South Lowestoft, Suffolk

Tel

(0502) 66289

1 Vente par, correspondance ULTRA RAPIDE

Expedition immediate PAR AVION vers tous pays

Ecrivez-nous EN FRANCAIS afm de recevoir le catalogue et tar if complet EN
FRANCAIS se rapportant a votre ordinateur (preciser le modele S.V.P.).

Si vous etes presse: pour tout renseignement, telephonez nous EN FRANCAIS au
+ 44-291 257 80 (a partir de votre travail ou de chez un ami, c'est morns cher 1 ).

DUCHET Computers

51 Saint George Road - CHEPSTOW NP6 5LA - ANGLETERRE
Telephone: +44-291 257 80 ____

Pourquoi une publicite en Francais? - ; >

C'est evident: notre equipe est FRANCAISE et dynamique! Nous sommqs bases en
Angleterre pour mieux servir notre clientele . ,

SINCLAIR REPAIRS

Spectrum/Plus.£14.95

Keyboard.£ 8.50

Interface/M icrodrive.£16.00

Prices include all Parts, Labour, VAT, Postage & Packing

★ 3 months guarantee on the whole computer.

★ While you wait service.

★ Qualified Engineers.

★ Call in, Phone for advice, or send your computer with
cheque to:—

AVON MICRO CENTRE

Unit 4, Western Rd Industrial Estate,
Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire CU37 OAH
Tel: 0789 292269

TWO GREAT NEW
GAMES

for the 48K Spectrum
from D-B SOFTWARE
KEYWORK £3.95

THE WORD ASSOCIATION
GAME

STEPPINGSTONE £3.95

A TRIVIA GAME OF SKILL.

Please include 50p P&P.
Send cheques or POs to:

D-B SOFTWARE

12 Dickinson Drive,
Walsall WS29DN

CRIBBAGE

The popular pub game six card
cribbage is now available for the
48K/128K Spectrum.

Features:

FULL PLAYING CARD GRAPHICS
100% MACHINE CODE
TWO LEVELS OF PLAY
AUTOMATIC SCORING
suitable for both beginners and
experts.

Send £5.50 to:

ESEM SOFTWARE
112 Wrington Close
Little Stoke, Bristol BS12 6EJ
Tel: 0454612811

Please send now for a free
catalogue of our library of
Spectrum software for hire.

★ Hire from only 75p (not inc Discounts).

★ Huge range of ex chart games
available.

★ All tapes originals.

★ Many games still being added.

★ 7 day hire (first class post).

★ No extra postage charges.

★ Hundreds of music tapes as well.

★ Life membership only £2 (refundable
within 21 days if not satisfied).

★ Bulletin every two months.

More details from:

SOUNDBOX, SOFTWARE, DEPT YS
P.0. BOX 12, RENFREW,
RENFREWSHIRE PA4

X RATED

SPECTRUM
ADULT GAME

FANTASY £5.50

inc P&P

Available to persons over
18 ONLY. Please state age
when ordering

R n' H MICROTEC

32 Ha/ell Way.

Stoke Poyes
Bucks SL2 4DD

C.C.L. SOFTWARE LIBRARY

HIRE 'EM, AND TRY 'EM - BEFORE YOU BUY 'EM
LOOK WHAT MEMBERSHIP TO CCL OFFERS

★ FREE FIRST HIRE

★ PRICES FROM 50p PER WEEK

★ FREE CLUB CATALOGUE

★ FREE MEMBERS DRAW

★ FREE TIPS, POKES, HINTS, MAPS

★ CATALOGUE UPDATE WITH EVERY ORDER

★ DISCOUNT TITLES

★ FAST, RETURN POST SERVICE

★ HIRE 3, GET ONE FREE

★ HARDWARE HIRE

★ BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO OUR MEMBERS

★ ONLY ORIGINAL SOFTWARE SUPPLIED

★ FREE PROGRAMME FINDING SERVICE

★ FREE PEN PAL SECTION

★ FREE MEMBERS SWAP/SALES SERVICE

★ ONLY £5.00 FOR LIFE MEMBERSHIP

Send cheque/PO made payable to:

C.C.L., 17 Eastbrook Hill, Desborough,
Nr. Kettering, Northants NN14 2QQ

rVouR 1

YOUR SINCLAIR DOES NOT
CONDONE SOFTWARE PIRACY

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIF
IED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFO
RMATI ON CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

fYOUR 1

YOUR SINCLAIR DOES NOT
CONDONE SOFTWARE PIRACY

make spectrum

CeNCe

expansion^ocket o?E ^ ln, ° ,he

Rpliahio Q°*p rc, inate drilling. y
Reliable. Prototype still running after
w three years use

Telephone; ( 0625 ) 22800

SPECTRUM

REPAIRS

£14.95 inclusive of labour,
parts and p&p.

Fast, reliable service by
qualified engineers.
Average repair 24hrs.

3 months guarantee on all
work.

For help or advice — ring:

H.S. COMPUTER SERVICES
Unit 2, The Orchard
Warton, Preston
Lancs PR4 1BE
Tel: (0772) 632686

NEW TAPE UTILITY 9

This program gives a tape back-up of most software! Even
converts most jerky loaders to normal for reliable loading.
Manages very long programs (even 51K!), fast loaders,
etc, etc. State type of Spectrum when ordering (48K,
128K, etc.). £6.99 on tape (£4.99 if updating).

NEW TRANSFER PACK 3 —
FOR TAPE TO DRIVE

A software system to convert many TAPE based
programs to your DRIVE (no matter what type) + OTHER
USEFUL UTILITIES. Most jerky loaders are EASILY
converted to drive. Pack has at least 7 programs!
Opus/Beta owners add £1 for OPTIONAL extra program.
State TYPE of Spectrum + name of DRIVE when ordering
(e.g. 128K Spectrum and Microdrive). £11.99 on TAPE or
£12.99 on m/drive cartridge. (£6 if updating).

INFORMATION SHEETS — Approx 8 transfers of popular
programs per sheet — needs TP3. SPECIAL OFFER (with
SAE) — Nos. 1-20 now £4.50, Nos. 21-30 only £3.50.

MICROTRANS — for m/drive to m/drive back-up + tape
to drive (inc. headerless) — does NOT convert programs.
Includes MICROTAPE and RUN programs. ONLY £3 on
Tape, £4.50 on Cart. For any Spectrum. CODE
COMPRESSOR — £3.50.

Overseas: add £1 Europe, £2 others each product.
SAE for details.

NO RISK — ALL PROGRAMS CARRY OUR MONEY
BACK GUARANTEE (not updates).

LERM, DEPT YS, 11 BEACONSFIELD CLOSE,
WHITLEY BAY NE25 9UW
TELEPHONE: 091 2533615

BOX CLEVER WITH

r i

and PASS MATHS EXAMS

Any teacher will tell you that the way to
become proficient in maths is to do example
after example. BOXOFT Spectrum programs
provide almost unlimited examples. Enter
your own figures and the computer will solve
the problem with you step by step.

MATHS BOX 1 Factors of trinomials,
quadratics by factors and formula,
simultaneous equations, pythagoras, trig.
MATHS BOX 2 Sine and cosine rules,
transposition of formulae, percentages, profit
and loss, discount.

£8.95 each program or £14.95 the two

BOXOFT (DEPT E)

65 ALLANS MEADOW, NESTON,
SOUTH WIRRAL L64 9SQ

48k SPECTRUM

Fed up with ordinary fruit machine games?

★ NOW ★

A fruit machine simulation with the most
up-to-date features, sound and graphics

FRUIT 2010

★ For fruit machine experts to fun players

★ The most advanced and realistic fruit

machine simulation

FEATURES: Real reels—Gold Rush—Roulette-style-
gamble-El 00 jackpot-Holds-easy keys-Nudges-
HIGH-speed Spinning Reels-Save Down-Large
Graphics-Mystery Box-USES ALL 48K-12 different
fruits-super sound-Cash Run-MULTIPLE ODDS-
multi-colour—MAX. NUDGES-Number board
PLUS LOTS MORE

Please send £6.95 which includes P&P.

Cheques or P.O. to —
ROSSWARE (YS12), 646 London Road
Westcliff, Essex SS09HW

FOR FAST DELIVERY

Software from ROSSWARE

SINCLAIR REPAIRS

We offer a complete repair service on Sinclair products.

Spectrum/Plus. £17.00 Interface 1 . £18 00

Spectrum 128/ + 2. £30.00 Microdrive. £18 00

Sinclair QL. £30.00

SPECIAL OFFERS

Spectrum Power Supply. £10 00

Keyboard Upgrade to Plus. £30 00

Quickshot 2 + Kempston Interface. £12 00

ZX Expansion System includes Interface 1,

Microdrive, Bleeds + Cartridges.. £50 00

Please add V.A.T. to above prices
Send cheque or P.O. with repair or
SEND NO MONEY C.O.D. SERVICE AVAILABLE

MICRO:MEND

The Old School, Main Street, Farcet, Peterborough PE7 3DB
Tel: (0733) 241718

TANGLEWOOD SOFTWARE
157 Warwick Road, Rayleigh, Essex SS 6 8 SG

THE RACING GAME

All the thrills of managing
a stable of thoroughbreds.
Features include: form, fitness,
going, varying distances/grades
of races, train,
full betting,
enquires,
save, 3 levels.

Watch them

race j

+ much
more.

FOOTBALL FEVER

Manage your team to win:
LEAGUE TITLE,

EUROPEAN CUP,

CUP WINNERS CUP, F.A. CUP.
Features include:
fitness, injuries,
team selection,
penalties, morale,
substitutes, booking,
cup replays, form,
transfers + much

£6.95 EACH OR BOTH GAMES FOR £ 11.90

FOR SPECTRUM 48K AND 128K + 2

MICRODRIVE EXPANSION PACKS
INTERFACE 1 KITS, ETC.

FULL EXPANSION PACKS £52 50

INCLUDES MICRODRIVE, INTERFACE 1 , INSTRUCTION
BOOK, NETWORK LEAD AND FLEXIBLE CONNECTOR.

INTRODUCTION CARTRIDGE WALLET. £10.00

FOUR CARTRIDGE PACK WITH DEMO, BLANK,
MASTERFILE, TASWORD 2, ANT ATTACK AND GAMES
DESIGNER.

★ IF ABOVE BOUGHT TOGETHER £60.00

INTERFACE 1. £30.00

INCLUDES INST. BOOK, FLEX LEAD AND NETWORK LEAD.

INTERFACE 1 ONLY £25 00

★ £5.00 CREDIT IF FAULTY ONE RETURNED IN GOOD
CONDITION.

INTERFACE 2

DUAL JOYSTICK + ROM SOCKET

MICRODRIVES (with solid connector).£25.00

★ £5.00 CREDIT IF FAULTY ONE RETURNED IN
REPAIRABLE CONDITION.

ArrFQQnRIFC

MICRODRIVE FLEX CONNECTOR. £3 00

MICRODRIVE SOLID CONNECTOR. £3 00

NETWORK LEAD MICRODRIVE. £3 00

CARTRIDGE DEMO. £3 00

CARTRIDGE BLANK (10). £16 00

CARTRIDGE SINGLE. £175

CARTRIDGE 4-PACK WALLET. £7 00

4-PACK WITH DEMO BLANK, ANT ATTACK, TASWORD
2, MASTER FILE AND GAMES DESIGNER. £10.00

★ MIN. ORDER £10, ORDERS UNDER £35 ADD £2, P&P
ORDERS FROM OVERSEAS ADD £4.

★ TERMS, C.W.O. OR VISA CARD PREFERRED.

ORDERS TO: EEC LTD, 77A PACKHORSE ROAD,
GERRARDS CROSS, BUCKS SL9 8PQ.

Tel: 0753 889055

Y5 back issues — sweet sixteen you just shouldn't miss!

BACK ISSUES!

New! Buy three or more
back issues and choose
another one free! Buy ten
or more and get another
two free! Just tick the ones
you want on the coupon
and enclose a cheque or
postal order for the correct
amount.

I Jan '86 • Games: Rasputin/
Commando/Saboteur/NeverEnding
Story/Winter Sports • Features:

David Crane interview/Dro/c/ Wars/
Chopper Mission/Worm/Morse Saga

2 Feb '86 • Games: The Young
Ones/Bladerunner/Three Weeks In
Paradise/Beach Head 11/The Worm In
Paradise • Features: Joysticks: ten
best test/Mac/one/Matthew Smith
interview/Art Studio reviewed

3 Mar '86 • Games: Movie/V/
Zoids • Features: Switcha
three programs at once/SpecDrum: the
drum kit in a box/Wham! Music Box:
Melbourne House's music package

4 Apr '86 • Games: Max Head-
room/Skyfox/Lord Of The Rings •
Features: Art Studio: get the most
from it/128 Review /Dimmer Switch: TV
protection

5 May '86 • Games: Batman/The
Planets • Features: Micronet:
communications explained/Turbo
Loader.ioad listings in less time/
Interview: with the Elite programmers/
Adventures: Mike Gerrard joins YS

6 Jun '86 • Games: Ghosts V
Goblins/Way Of The Tiger/ 128K
Games: review round-up • Features:
SuperColour: multi-coloured character
squares/Hardware Bonanza: the latest
Speccy add-ons/Tasword III

7 Jul '86 • Games: Rock V
Wrestle/Heavy On The Magik •
Features: Music Hardware: makin'
music/Saga 2001 Keyboard/Interview:
Gargoyle's Greg Follis and Royst<
Carter

8 Aug '86 • Games: Paperboy/
Pyracurse/The Price Of Magik •
Features: Hardware Special: get the
most for your money/ Animator 1: draw
your own conclusions/Speech Melba:
speech synthesis on the Speccy

9 Sep '86 • Games: Miami Vice/
Jack The Nipper/Hijack •
Features: Free: wild 'n' wacky YS
stickers/lt's All In The Wrist Action:
T'zer's action-packed arcade special/
Heavy On The Magick poster map to
plot your route

m Oct '86 • Games: The

■ w Great Escape/Trap Door •
Features: Free Trainspotter's Guide
Booklet/E//fe: the complete hackers
guide/Hard Facts Special: the 128K
Speccy exposed

_ Dec '86 • Games: Dandy/

I 21 Avenger/Uridium/WAR/
Lightforce/Trailblazer/Dragon's Lair •
Features: Music Feature: hit that
perfect beep/Readers' Survey: see what
everyone else thought

. a Jan '87 • Games: Space
■ w Harrier/Star Glider/Gauntlet/Fat
Worm Blows A Sparky/Thanatos/They
Stole A Million • Features: Carry On
Screening: T'zer's magnificent movie
special/Compliment System: Saga's
complete hardware system/Red Box: the
Red Revolution's coming

I jm Feb '87 • Games: Short
"W Circuit/Aliens/Gauntlet/
Fairlight 11/Contact Sam Cruise •
Features: Hard Facts Special: lots of
hardware, and for less than £100/You
Can Be An Artist II: SofTechnic's new
arty package

ioo

■■ pi Mar '87 • Games: Auf

■ 9 Wiedersehen Monty/The Hive/
Fist II — The Legend Continues/Space
Harrier/Hacker II • Features: Sports
Feature: Gwyn and Rachael shape up/
RamPrint: perfect printing every time

mgr April '87 • Games:

■ O Nemesis The Warlock/Rana
Rama/Enduro Racer/Leader Board/
Shockway Rider/Sigma 7

• Features: Comms Special: Get
on-line with YS/ Vox On The Box:
Tune-in to computers on telly.

mwm May '87 • Games:

I M Tai-Pan/World Games/

Saboteur ll/lnto The Eagle's Nest/
Arkanoid • Features: Road Race:
Exclusive Ocean game on the cover/
Stars On 45: A personality-filled T'zer
special/Hack Free Zone: four whole
pages of hints, tips and maps.

Programs for these issues are
available on Digi'T'ape.

r

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

Order Your Back Issues Now!

January '86

□

July '86

□

February '87

□

February '86

□

August '86

□

March '87

□

March '86

□

September '86

□

April '87

□

April '86

□

October '86

□

*May '87

□

May '86

□

December '86

□

June '86

□

January '87

□

UK £1.20 each inc p&p, Europe £1.60, Rest of the world £1.80.

*May '87 issue only — UK £1.70, Europe £2.10, Rest of the world £2.30
Don't forget: Order three or more — tick another one free, order ten or more
— tick another two free.

I enclose a cheque/postal order for £.made payable to Dennis

Publishing Ltd.

Name.

Address.

.Postcode.

Complete and return this coupon to: Your Sinclair Back Issues, PO Box 320, London

N21 2NB.

Use a photocopy if you don't want to cut up the mag.

STOP PRESS — The November '86 issue is now sold out!

OMPUTER
REPAIR
CENTRE

Every computer

the only AMSTRAD
SPECIALIST recommendecT
by Amstrad

Repairs also undertaken for all the
following computers:- SPECTRUM, COMMODORE,'
ATARI, BBC & IBM Compatibles.

Three months no quibble guarantee

repaired by us
is completely
overhauled
and tested
before
.return.

■ No high fixed price - you only pay what the repair
actually costs.

■ While-U-Wait Service - spare parts for all
leading computers - available over
the counter.

State of the art test equipment

ALL PARTS
STOCKED

a selection of spares:

to provide comprehensive
test report and locate
faults.

■ All computers
returned carriage
paid and
covered by
insurance.

V/

I

r/

me

COMMODORE SPARES

6526 - C IA £19.95

6510-Processor £19.95

6581 Sid Chip £19.95

906114 - House Keeper

£19.95

901225 - Graphic Rom

£19.95

901226-Basic Rom £19.95

901227 -Kemal Rom £19.95

6569 - VIC £29.95

4164 Rams - Memory £3.0C
Power Supply

Transformers £29 9C

VAT included £1.50 per
order for postage &
packing.

SPECTRUM SPARES

Keyboard membrane
Spectrum £5.50

Keyboard membrane
Spectrum Plus
membrane £11.95
Metal Templates £5.50
Keyboard Mats £5.50
ZX81 membrane £5.00
Service Manual £30.00

ZTX 650 £0.60

ZTX213 £0.60

Z80BCPU £3.00

4116 Rams £1.48

Power Supply
Transformers £9.95
ULA6C001 £16.50
Rom £16.50

Vi

with every
computer repair,

.other than Spectrum
and Commodore.

DISCOUNT COMPONENTS

e.g. Power Transformers

tP

I_.n

!LJ

Commodore
£29.90 +£i.5o p .p.

Spectrum £9.95^

+£1.50 p.p.

Tirade
orders
welcome

Discounts
for Colleges
and Schools

?tohs

■niZhs

SPECTRUM

REPAIRS
from

'f7 to £19.90-

■ Spectrum
rubber
keyboards
repaired
for only
£ 8.95 . '

ABC?** 4

a SEND YOUR COMPUTER
with a Cheque/P.OyAccess
or Visa Card number for the maximum fee
enclosing the appropriate Free Gift Voucher.

B FOR A WRITTEN QUOTATION just send
£2.50 to cover postage 8i packing.

■ Your Computer will be returned within 24 hours
carriage and transit insurance paid with the
balance of the fee and your FREE GIFT.

SPECIALIST COMPUTER
REPAIR CENTRE

Dept. 26, Unit 4, M.E.B. Works, Windsor Road,
Enfield, Redditch B97 6DJ.

Telephone:

REDDITCH 65671

WE SET THE STANDARD BY WHICH EVERYONE ELSE IS JUDGED

YOUR

SPECTRUM

There’s not a moment to lose - Your Spectrum is now a rare
species. You’d better hurry ’cos copies are disappearing
fast! Snap up a back issue at £1.10 using the coupon below.
Your Sinclair back issues — have a look at Contents for the

pampumber 0 f the ad.

Issue 1

Cross Check - five chess packages put to
the test • Speaking of Spectrums - the
ins and outs of speech synthesis • Machine
Code Breakout - escape from those
infinite loops!

Issue 16*

Disko-Tech — mini disk drives road-tested
• Firefighters - Shadowfire blazes a new
trail.

Issue 17*

Issue 5

Thrills From The Quill — create your own
adventures • ZX Phone Home -
computerised bulletin boards hooked up •
Getting Attached To Printers -
producing full character sets.

Issue 12

Into The Music — five music packages
compared • Anyone Seen A Ghost -
Ghostbusters reviewed.

Issue 13

Return Of The Heroes - Kong Strikes
Back and Hunchback II reviewed • Screen
Scrunger - save your screens in half the
bytes.

Issue 14

It’s A Cracker - become a real hacker • A
Space Oddity - Alien 8 explored.

I Spy... A View To A Kill - cloak and
dagger stuff • Celtic Ranger - cast an eye
over Dun Darach • The Generation Game ^
- using games creators.

Issue 18*

Dam’n’Blast — Dambusters going down a
bomb • JSW II - POKEd apart • The
Ghostwriter - a DIY adventure designer.

Issue 19*

Fist Fight - Way Of The Exploding Fist -
black-belts begin here! • Sprite High, No
Limit — designing big sprites on the Speccy
• Movin’ and Groovin’ - pan, zoom and
scroll your screens.

Issue 20*

Elitism - join the Elite • Gothic Horror -
Fairlight reviewed • Play It Again, Sam -
synthesise your Speccy.

Issue 15

Painting By Numbers - art packages
compared • Hot Heads - the hottest
thermal printers around • Space Ace -
Starion, the space-age shoot ’em up.

Issue 21

Rambo - you’ve seen the film, (No I
haven’t! Ed) now play the game •

Impossible Mission — read the review and
make it possible • Game Plan - write the
game of your dreams.

*Programs for this issue are available on DigiTape - see the ad in this
issue of Your Sinclair.

Order your back issues now!

Please send me the following back issues of Your Spectrum - UK £1.10 inc p&p, £1.50
Europe, £1.70 rest of the world.

Issue 1 □ Issue 14 □ Issue 18 □

Issue 5 □ Issue 15 □ Issue 19 □

Issue 12 □ Issue 16 □ Issue 20 □

Issue 13 □ Issue 17 □ Issue 21 □

I enclose a cheque/postal order for £.made payable to Dennis

Publishing Ltd.

Name ..
Address

.Postcode.

Please fill in this form and send it to Your Spectrum Back Issues, PO Box 320, London N212NB.
You can use a photocopy if you aren’t into mutilation.

SPECIAL OFFERS

SPECTRUM/PLUS/128K

INCLUDING INTERFACE
PLUGS STRAIGHT INTO SPECTRUM/PLUS

£ 13.99

Lowci
. pr «e

ONLY POST FREE

• TOP + TRIGGER FIRE BUTTON
•AUTO FIRE MODE

• KEMPSTON COMPATIBLE

• STABILIZING SUCTION CUPS

• SPECTRUM OR PLUS • UNBEATABLE OFFER
SEND FOR INS TANT DESPA TCH

PRICE BREAKTHROUGH

SWITCHABLE JOYSTICK
INTERFACE
ONLY £ 8.99 POST FREE

• ALL THREE SYSTEMS AT THE FLICK OF A SWITCH

• 'KEMPSTON'—'CURSOR'—'INTERFACE II'

• ACCEPTS ANY 9 PIN JOYSTICK-INCLUDING

RAPID FIRE MODELS • SPECIAL OFFER!!
Buy with QUICKSHOTII complete for only

fid QQ SEND l

I- NOW!

Now you can backup all your Spectrum Games
| to Microdrive or Tape.

• Simply press a button to "freeze" the program^,

• Save to micro drive or tape

• Special program compacting techniques

• Code Inspector allows you to freeze the
action, add pokes and restart the game again.

Also peek facility.

• All backups will restart from the
point they were saved.

ROBOTICS & MODEL CONTROL £29.99 1

Made easy on your Spectrum POST FREE \

• 4 independently controllable outputs for robotics, motors, lights, etc.

• 8 independent inputs for sensing etc.

• This is the unit that the "Lego" publication "Make and Program your own

^Robots" was based on • Complete with all cables • Easy to use. _

Now you can create Superb Graphics easily with

the New Lightwriter

0 ™ £ 14.99

POST FREE

Lightpen comes
complete with
Interface & Software

• Just plug in the Date! Lightwriter and draw circles, squares, rectangles, make
superb hand drawings, paint, fill, erase, choose inks, paper, colours. • Save your
results into memory (48KI and use in animation or save onto tape to use in your
own games. • All functions selected from screen menu with the lightpen.

• Unbeatable value. • Nothing more to buy.

SEND NOW AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY

<$>

Digital Sound Sampling Technology. NOW Available
rs*-7 on yotr Spectrum

grated Software / Complete iMWtand Software

plied -Previous/ TT _ ^ ^ ^

haserscan / Q QQ Package

ade for £5.00/ L *7*7 POST FREE

• Digital Sound Sampling has only previously been available for large
micros and costing at least 10 times the amount • The sound Sampler
allows you to record "Digitally" any sound into memory and instantly
replay it at any pitch, forwards, backwards, ascending scale, compressed,
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Illustration: Nick Davies

Nippy noo nahs! An apple a day
keeps T’zer away — especially
when it’s injected with DDT! So
from the ashes of T’zers...
Phillersl Yee-har! Now I can run
this column the way I want -- no
more silly themes, no more puns
and definitely no more
interruptions from Richard
Tidsall...

“Hello, Phil, it’s Tizzy here.
Just to tell you that US Gold has
absolutely nothing to tell you.

The big summer press
conference is on next week, but
until then... sorry.”

Brill. Now, let’s have a snout
around. What’s going on? Who’s
got what coming out through
whom, whbn, how, why and
where’s my lunch? Sara,
call the sarnie shop and get
them to fix up a bacon,
lettuce, tomato, cucumber,
chicken and peanut butter roll,
salt and pepper, hold the mayo,
with a side salad of, well, make it
a lightly roasted ox with a sprig
of parsley. I’m feeling peckish
today.

Ah, wossis, a release from
Gremlin. More info about
Nimrod, the game you read

about first in YS (or second if
you picked up the mag and read
it again). Nah, nothing to do with
a big snouted aircraft with wacky
early warning systems to tell you
a whole three minutes before
everybody else finds out that the
world is going to be nuked to
ciggy ash. No sir, this Nimrod’s a
friendly little alien, a member of
a very friendly race of robots
called the Bioptons, who like
parties and firing off fire
extinguishers just like any
normal person. Naturally the evil
Cratons don’t like this sort of
thing, so they crash the
Bioptons’ party (really wild, by all
accounts - lots of clanking
noises from the darker corners)
and imprison them individually
on space prisons stretched
across the galaxy. Seems a bit
harsh — most gatecrashers I
know just drink all the booze and
frighten the cat. Nimrod’s the
only one to get away from this
all-nighter, though, and he has
to rescue all his comrades. And
he’s got only 99 eons to do it in.

Nimrod’s out in June, as is
Mask 1 , the game of the TV
series of the T-shirt of the super
dooper action toys of the book
of the film of the foil-wrapped
sarnie of the same name
(where’s my lunch, Sara?)
Y’know the drill, heroes battle
against the evil Captain Meany,

or whoever. Sounds like the Ed.
Ahem. And we’ve also got a
screenshot of the Thing On A
Spring sequel, Thing Bounces
Back. Boinnggg! Oi, I’m getting
hungry. Ah, Sara, you’re back.
Where’s my sarnie? You haven’t
got it? You’re fired. Er, why are
you rushing towards me with
what looks suspiciously like a
razor sharp meataxe?
AAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!

Right, that’s better, normal
service has now been resumed

— Sara here. Phil’s just, er,
nipped off for a bit, so I’ll take
the reins. Oh hang on, who’s this
on the phone?

“Hello, Sara, it’s Ian Faux of
Infogrames here. I just rang up
to tell you about a couple of
games coming up. First there’s
Murders On The Atlantic, a
crime thriller set on board a
transatlantic cruise ship just
before World War II. It’s a quick
follow-up to Vera Cruz and The
Sidney Affair, so big things are
expected of it.”

Yes yes, what else?

“And Apocalypse is being re-
released on the new Command
label. You remember, the first
real war game that ever came to
the Speccy, the one that started
it all off. It’s been jigged up a bit

- it’s faster and smoother
running - and it’s being bunged
out for £9.95. Good stuff, eh?”

Yes thanks, good, now where
was I? Oh yes, Konami. It turns
out that the games it was
releasing and beginning with S
and J are Salamander and
Jackal, two bip-de-bop arcade
coin-ops which Konami has
licensed to itself (convenient,
that). They’ll be out in the
autumn along with Iron Horse -
but there’s nowt more from
Konami until then. You’ll just
have to make do with Nemesis
(got a cheat mode, anyone?)

Mastertronic is still pouring
out the games. Among the latest
releases are Masterchess, due
out May 6, Ballcrazy (sounds
interesting) and Galletron, and
they’ll both slap onto the shelves
on May 20. And guess what else
you’ll be able to feast your
peepers on - yeah, David
Jones’ long awaited Storm-
bringer. The third part of his
Magic Knight trilogy has been
delayed for yonks while Jonesy
put the finishing touches to it,
not to mention the starting
touches. But now it’s ready, she
wrote with her fingers crossed
behind her back.

What other news have we?
Well, Macsen has gone down
the plughole, owing around
£350,000 — phew! It was
famous for its Speccy versions
of TV show like Blockbusters,
and let’s not forget EastEnders,
the game so bad we didn’t even
get a review copy! Now we know
why. Still, it’s never good to hear
of a firm going kerplunk,
especially when it’s one of the
’83 veterans that some really old
people may remember from the
early days (though not me, of
course!)

At Mikro-Gen, now part of
Creative Sparks but being run
independently, big cheese Rod

Cobain reports some interesting
new releases on the horizon.
Strike Force SAS is finally
coming out, with Digital Graffiti
and Bounty Hunter to follow.

I’m enjoying this. Power at
last. With Teresa gone and
PhiL.er, recovering, I’ll be able
to run the mag my way. Lots of
reviews of Gauntlet. Features
on the playing of Gauntlet.
Gauntlet - The Deeper
Dungeons, screen by screen.
That’s the sort of mag we should
have.

Hang on a second. Why is
Marcus setting up this noose
above my head. We don’t have
any pictures to hang up, do we?
Hallo, there’s something wrong
here...hold on...stop
it...AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!

At last. It’s taken enough. I’ve
been here five long months but

now I’m editor. Well soon have
things moving around here.
(Brief nap.)

Ah, that’s better. Let’s get
down to some news. The British
Micro Federation has
announced that it’s going to
award silver, gold and platinum

cassettes to best-selling games.
So if a game sells 50,000, it
goes silver; 100,000, and it goes
gold; 200,000, and it’s platinum.

Now to all these screenshots
littering up the place. First,
Barbarian, the hunky new slice
’em up from Palace. Designer
Steve Brown’s the man behind
such wizard wheezes as
Cauldron and Cauldron II, and
here he’s fashioned a nifty little
package of two games in one.
Part one lets you perfect your
swordsmanship against

another player or the computer,
so that in part two you can save
the Princess from the clutches of
the evil Dark Sorceror, Drax.

Enter Ian Ellery from Nexus.
Isn’t Nexus the company that
produced a game called, no, let
me guess, it’s on the tip of my
tongue... Nexus! Yus, that’s the
one. Now Nexus is leaping
headlong into the Speccy
market (splat!) with two new
games due soon, or even earlier.
Hades Nebula is a blam blam
shooter from Paranoid Software,
and it looks a must for joystick
fiends everywhere. Due May
21 st, it features double parallax
scrolling, and even Nexus
doesn’t know what that is.
According to the blurb you’ll
need “awesome stamina in the
fire-button finger, brilliant
dexterity to dodge all the nasty
and pesky baddies, and acute
hearing to enjoy the
Commodore/Atari FX sound, or
the funny little blips on the

Spectrum...”

Meanwhile, Micronaut One is
also being wound up for summer
release from Nexus. We’ve seen
a demo version and it’s pretty
spectacular, a high speed
whoosh through corridors and
tunnels, a bit like the Hive but
with more game. It’s also got a
menu system similar to the
Apple Macintosh so you can see
we’re talking serious coolness
here. Your Micronaut ship
patrols the inside of a massive
computer, transferring energy
from place to place and fighting
off the inevitable alien intruders.

Not so much to report from
Ocean except that Nintendo’s
follow-up to Donkey Kong,
entitled Mario Brothers is out
very soon at £7.95. Justa one
Cornetto, give it to meeeee...

And finally Databyte is not a
name you may have heard of,
but its been releasing a number
of A1 old games on the
Commie, including my favourite
Montezuma’s Revenge. Now it’s
developed an interest in the
Speccy and the first release is a
belated conversion of another
corky old number, Spy Vs Spy
II: The Island Caper. A full
review next month, and...oh
hello Kevin, what do you think?
Like the column? Not that it
matters much anymore, now
that you’re only a humble
Managing Editor! Hee hee!
Kevin, why is your moustache
quivering at Warp Factor 8? No,

I didn’t mean it...no...no...
AAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!

Barbarian, the muscular new game from Palace Software.

Hades Nebula, crossing the river Styx soon from Nexus.

104

“ ' m I took on the Mutants knowing I was armed
I to the teeth with missiles, mines, torpedoes
and more... I could even choose where I wanted to
fight! how could I loose? ... how DID I loose? I've never
seen anything like it... they came at me in droves, in
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\ and there were more to come. I know now that one
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pattern of mines. It's just the beginning... but I
must build the ultimate weapon or I'll MEVER be
P&* \ rid of them all!

J "An essential purchase - miss it and you're
v ‘ 1 / missing something special" - Zzap

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